


Our Darkest Hour

by IrishLuck55



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Anti Outlaw Queen, Anti-CS, Dark Emma Swan, Dark Swan, Dark and Twisted, F/F, Season 6 Once Upon A Time, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan-Mills Family, anti captain swan, anti-oq
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-05-20 08:12:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 40,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrishLuck55/pseuds/IrishLuck55
Summary: When the product of the Truest Love is consumed with darkness, plagued with hate, how do you save her? What if it took the woman with the darkest past and the most wounded heart to free her savior from the dark? Will she succeed as a hero, or be heartbroken?





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first OUAT Story, I originally posted on FF.net and only recently decided to broaden my horizons to AO3. I hope you all enjoy! This takes place in Season 5 after Emma takes Regina's place as the Dark One.**

**Disclaimer: All aspects of OUAT belong to the rightful owners at Disney and ABC.**

It takes her a couple of seconds before realization kicks in. She blinks once and then again just to be certain. Her jaw is set tight when the inevitable groan leaves her lips because… How could she be so stupid? Not Regina herself, of course… But… How could that hero-complex-harboring blonde be  _that_  stupid… to such an incredible extent.

"What did you do to her?" Her head snaps to the side as soon as the grouchy pirate decides to speak… to her… The. Nerve. "What?" she scoffs, her voice laced with disbelief. Could he really be  _that thick_? "Where is she? Why are you unharmed?"Hook yells at her, looking utterly bewildered, not to mention livid. "Do I look like an oracle to you?" she hisses with narrowed eyes. "Why would she even do that? Why would she save  _you_?" He pulls up his nose in disgust,sneering the final word as if to insult her. "She didn't do it to save me, you idiot. She did it to 'do the "right thing.'" Regina takes a step forward and uses air quotes to emphasis her point. "It's in those stupid charming genes of hers… So if you're looking to blame anyone, blame the happy couple on your right and spare me your pathetic excuses for insults." She sneers while trying so desperately not to rip the moron's heart out.

When she feels a soft weight land on her left shoulder she flinches slightly. "Calm down, darling." "Don't."she murmurs huskily. But he does anyway… He tightens his grip a little and pulls her into his overly warm embrace. When she sighs he thinks it's stress and tension leaving her small frame, while really… it's the exact opposite. "Robin." she whispers against his chest. "Sshh darling." He silences her again. So sweetly, so softly… So effectively… because she does stay silent. Trying so desperately to ignore all the pent up tension, eating at her from the inside. It's relatively quiet. Some wind, some cars further down town, Snow's girly crying, Charming's soothing words to his wife and finally, Hook's "Dark One I command thee, show yourself."

Regina cannot believe her ears. She gasps audibly and turns around in Robin's arms. And then holds her breath until… Absolutely nothing happens and a very strange sensation is felt somewhere deep inside of the former queen's soul. Relief, a strange glimmer of happiness… even now, in this dark hour… And then as soon as it came, it's gone because… How can she not be completely disappointed with herself? She's changed, so much at that. She should be feeling… well, anything but relief and happiness. Unwilling to delve deeper into the roots of these completely misplaced feelings, she locks them away and sets on anger. "Give me that, guy-liner." she sneers at him, finally pulling away from the forest-thief's embrace.

"Regina." Charming warns her calmly. She looks at him and shakes her head. "What?" she says while pulling Emma's dagger from the pirate's loose grip. "Don't do anything stupid" His eyes are void of judgment, for which she can't help but feel grateful. Not that she'd show it. No, instead she chuckles darkly and sneers sharply "Should have told that to your princess."

"Regina." it's Snow's turn to warn the older brunette. "Seriously? What could I possibly do to make matters worse? The Savior, the product of True Love and owner of the lightest magic ever…" She says oh so dramatically before her expression turns blank and her tone flat. "has turned dark."

"We have to save her." Charming whispers but with clear determination. "Of course we do." Regina says, and means it. Although…the words might have sounded just a little sarcastic in pure Regina fashion. "And you're not going to stand in our way." The guy with the hook steps forward and shares his thoughts. To say Regina is completely stunned is a huge understatement. She's speechless for just a couple of seconds before she manages to gather herself, turn her royal attention towards the undeserving piece of filth and looks at him as if he's the weirdest little rat she's ever laid eyes on. "I don't think we should allow him to speak anymore." She says almost calmly before turning back towards the un-charming pair. "Regina, we're going to need you."

It's not a question but the pleading tone doesn't go lost on Regina… And why the fuck is it that everyone just assumes that she wouldn't be helping?! It's these type of situations that make her boil and sizzle with annoyance. Her grip on the dagger in her hands is firm and vice like. What is she supposed to say…? 'well of course I'll be helping! Don't worry… I've got your back… Together we can do this!' ? Yeah right… Hell can freeze over and she still wouldn't utter those words. It's not because she's no longer the Evil Queen she once was, that she actually has to stoop  _that_  low.

So instead of sharing those thoughts she goes for… "Well, she didn't leave me with much of a choice, did she?" "Forget it Your Majesty" Killian then snarls, voice laced with frustration. "I don't think we're going to need" "Oh shut up, will you?" Regina interrupts whatever idiotic remark was slipping past those rum reeking lips, rolls her eyes and turns on her heel.

Not even sparing the leather clad pirate another glance. She's not about to say something about it, but Regina's all too aware of the fact that she's still holding the Dark One's dagger tightly. It's weird and she's got no idea why, but she so hopes that she can get away from here before anyone else notices. She starts walking. Killian's saying something that- she's sure- isn't worth her time. Ignoring him comes naturally. And Robin… well he's just standing there.

God, she could really use a drink right about now. That's exactly what she's heading for. Only, less than three seconds later her favorite word in the world halts her effectively. "Mom!" "Henry" Regina sighs and smiles without effort. "Mom, are you okay?" His voice cracks. A combination of puberty and sincere worry. Once he's in front of her, he doesn't hesitate and warps his lanky arms around her shoulders. It's perfect. The exact right temperature even.

"Sweetheart." Regina breathes into thick brown hair. "Where's Emma?" He then pulls away slightly and looks at his mother. "We'll get her back." Regina says, voice filled to the brim with determination and nods. Her fingers tighten their grip and absentmindedly her eyes shift downwards towards the piece of metal in her hand. By doing so, Henry's attention is immediately drawn towards the dagger in question.

His eyes find his mother's "You get to have it?"He gasps, placing emphasis on the first word of the sentence as if to make a point. So, it hurts a little that he actually sounds that surprised… But Regina decides to simply shake off that negative feeling. Although it seems she doesn't really have an answer for him either. She kind of just took it and left, didn't she? To be honest, she's not even certain as to why she felt so compelled to take it from Hook at all. Okay… well… that's not true… anyone would agree with her that he is about the worst person to be holding on to such an important and powerful object. Honestly, she is the best choice…

While she's standing there, taking forever to come up with a simple quick response, Mrs. un-Charming clears her throat, startling Regina slightly. "Can you keep it safe? We're going to have to think of a plan to bring her back." Snow is emotional alright. Of course she is. But her words are actually making sense. At least a little...For once. So Regina allows the woman to go on. "In the mean time… the dagger… it can't land in the wrong hands." "The wrong" "Yours aren't the wrong ones. I wasn't saying that, Regina."

"Okay." Regina swallows back a snappy remark about the other woman's choice of attire for today… out of the goodness of her heart. "I just need to hear it from you… I need something to hold on to." Snow then says.

"You need me" there's a small pause there but Regina pulls herself together quickly "to tell you it's going to be okay?" Snow looks down, breathes in, out and levels her eyes with the other woman's before nodding. "Please." Regina feels awkward, nauseous, uncomfortable and something else that she can't quite put her finger on. Whatever it is, it's what makes her say her next words.

"Of course, we'll keep it safe. For Emma."

**A/N: So, here is chapter 1! This was started several years ago and I have recently begun adding to it. Leave me lots of love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 2! The first few chapters will focus a lot on Regina and then transition into Emma handling her recent metamorphosis.**

She turns the page and immediately releases a long sigh. The last one again already. Regina stares at the table to her right and lets her eyes trace the huge mess she's made these past few days. Thank god, Belle had been very kind and understanding, helping her retrieve every single piece of information on that damned dagger.

The former Queen had practically turned her vault inside out in search of ... something... anything really, spells, recipes for potions but so far the search had been fruitless and fucking frustrating. Robin had called . Every three hours... he'd called. The first couple of conversations had lasted for several minutes and had consisted of Regina trying to explain what she was trying to accomplish, things she was looking for and not finding but continualy hoping to find in this next book she's about to tackle. These were usually followed by Robin's humming, silences, soft encouragements to come home and get some rest, take a break. There was also an annoyingly large number of 'let me take care of you's and 'Hook is out looking for her, she's not your responsibility's.

It was certainly enough to make Regina reconsider answering the calls at all, but each time she did and each time she was the one that ended it with a "I'll let you know once I've found something." After a while the conversations had grown shorter and further apart. It's not that she wasn't appreciative of what he was doing, it's that she didn't appreciate what he wasn't doing: Helping her. Not that it was anything new...

When has she ever had any help? Not including Emma... Emma. And suddenly her mind is back on track. She's long stopped counting on aid from these useless spell books. The first few had been mildly if at all helpful, but it hadn't been long before the pages became numerous and it had become so painfully clear that this curse wasn't one so easily broken. Breaking the darkness. It just sounds so condraticting, doesn't it? Those touched by the darkness more often than not were or had been broken already anyway.

Mending the darkness? That's looking at it a whole different way, from an entirely different perspective. Don't fear her. No. Don't pity her either. Hell no! A light Emma Swan would most certainly not appreciate that, let alone a very, very dark one... _The Dark One_. But there's one thing - and to be quite honest, Regina's not sure at all how she feels about this- that almost comes naturally at the moment. Relate. Would Emma be okay with that? The Dark One and the former Evil Queen sharing the darkness?

Regina's eyes are closed as she bites her tongue to the point where she's fairly certain the tender flesh is breaking and then she stops, only to bite down on a different spot. It takes most, if not all, of the woman's willpower to not give in to what feels like some kind of natural instinct. One by one Regina cracks every knuckle on both of her hands. It's loud, uncharacteristic and not even remotely helpful because when her mouths falls open she speaks.

"Do you even realize how long it's been since I've last seen my bed?" The ridiculousness of speaking out loud into the solitude of her vault and the vulnerable crack in her own voice makes her flinch momentarily. She swallows nervously. And why? It's not like there's anyone here to judge her, is there? Well... except for herself. And perhaps,just maybe... "Emma, I" She pauses. "What?" She shrugs, shakes her head and breathes out the question. To herself. What could she possibly have to say to Emma right now? It's not like they're friends and it's not like she wishes they were either. Hell, she doesn't even care, does she? No, Regina just really really wants to get this over and done with. This whole Dark One thing has gone on long enough and it's time for life to go back to normal.

Let the fairytale characters have their happily ever afters.  _So normal_. "And let me go back to being annoyed by your every move instead of this... Instead of experiencing this dreadful feeling of" Regina halts herself from saying something stupid and can't help but groan instead. At first she'd convinced herself that this sense of responsibility was originated solely out of the fact that Emma had sacrificed herself for her. Of course that's not entirely true since the blonde had merely done what she thought was the right thing, the heroic thing. Regina scoffs.

Then,of course, Henry had stared at her with those big gooey eyes of his... So helpless and pleading, leaving her with no choice but to do anything and everything to save his birth mother. Up until this point her lack of sleep and the huge effort she's put into Operation something-something (Henry's still working on the perfect code name) is totally justified and not at all suspicious. Had it not been for that stupid nagging feeling she's been trying to shake off so very desperately. It hadn't even been that long after Emma had made that dreadful decision to offer herself up to the darkness that Regina had felt the beginning of a very unsettling sensation. The promoted shepherd and his lesser half had kindly offered to take care of Henry while Regina 'did her thing' (David had even made some ridiculous hand gestures as if it had resembled anything to do with magic-it was offensive really) But strangely enough, Regina had agreed.

Well, if she's being completely hones, she'd rather not have Henry there while she's delving so deep into this dark and unsettling type of sorcery. Still, there was no need for the pathetic display of charades on Charming's part. She'd made her opinion on the matter clear of course. He's not likely to do it again anytime soon. After the verbal lashing he'd received on the gravity of the type of magic they were dealing with and on how absolutely moronic he was, he'd kept his hands tucked away in the pockets of his overly tight pants. An unfortunate family trait. Though over time, she'd come to appreciate it on Emma. Regina swallows hard and chooses to just ignore that thought for now, forever if at all possible.

It's scary enough to feel how her drive to help the blonde has shifted in a very peculiar way. As much as she keeps telling herself: This is for Henry. This is for Henry. This is for our son. The moment she reminds herself of the bond she shares with Henry's other mother, it's nearly impossible to ignore. This is for me- A tiny tiny voice whispers to her. Regina clears her throat and brushes a nervous hand through thick, dark tresses. Let's just not go there. This is for Emma. That- she silently decides- is something she can live with.

"Goddammit, where are you, Swan?" She groans. "It's not supposed to be like this" This time Regina doesn't even realize she's started talking again. Somehow, her eyes find their way to the dagger. She stares at it. Hard. She looks at Emma Swan's name engraved in that ancient font. Who still uses that, anyway? The brunette rolls her eyes at how terribly dramatic the calligraphy makes the name look. "I used to be so proud of my actions... as... as the  _evil_  Queen... I used to smirk, laugh and enjoyed every second of it when I felt my heart blacken with hate. I used to look at people and hate their families and the houses they'd built for themselves. The lives they'd built for themselves..."

Her gaze softens minutely, but remains just as intense if not more-so. Though not necessarily at the piece of metal but more... more like... through it. Lost in a haze of thoughts, trying to sort through the puzzle forming. "How dare they build lives of their own? A privilege I, as a Queen, had never been granted. And Emma, I really thought I was so mighty to take it from them. I really thought... The power I felt holding a man's heart in the palm of my hand... It was... when you do such a thing... not only do you hold someone's entire life, past and future... You hold their love." It's silent for an undesirable amount of minutes. Hours perhaps because not only are these thoughts formed in the moment,the realizations are hitting hard as well. "You hold your own ability to love..." Her voice has turned into a shaky whisper bouncing against the stone walls of her lonely vault of 'uselessness to make things right'. "And then you crush it." She gasps, because that's exactly what it is.

Once upon a time, there was an Evil Queen in an Enchanted Forrest on a very lonely throne around which she build a wall made from the ashes of the hearts of those who were unafraid to use it for its purpose. "Emma you can't..." She chokes on her words "fall for it. The darkness is greedy... It wants all of you... every single part and I can't stand to" Hard puffs of air leave her lungs. Loud and threatening to turn into sobs. No way... She is not going to start crying. "have Henry loose you." She decides on voicing. Not that it matters what she says or doesn't say... Nobody's listening anyway. Except for her own conscious that's painfully cringing at the half lie. She ignores it, but for a moment, just a moment, the long buried pain bursts through the wall she built. Her hand wraps around the handle of the dagger, grippng tightly before hurling it against the cold stone wall with an inhuman scream.

Of course. The truth is so humiliating she can't even stand to witness it unfold herself. How has it come to this point? Why should she even care? Regina Mills doesn't care for anyone but Henry... Not even for herself, not really. And still, why should she care for the child of her arch nemesis,of all people in all of the realms? Because Henry cares? Well... Henry cares for the Ninja Turtles too. It's all so very confusing. Things had finally been a little bit easy, for once. For both Emma and her. They'd even started to build lives of their own, something the Evil Queen had never imagined herself possible of. Regina's not sure if it had felt exactly as it was supposed to. But then again... After all she's been through she's probably not capable of feeling the entire package of feelings anymore, is she?

The situation she'd found herself in with Robin, well, it is her True Love... She can't possibly have it better than that. And it's okay. She's even kind of come to terms with the whole Zelena thing. Not that she really ever thinks of that. That's just asking for a disaster to take place. Why ruin a perfectly okay arrangement? And Emma... She'd been doing great. It finally looked like she was able to open up to someone. Even if just to a guy with a hook for a hand and a libido for a heart. It was something... and it had seemed enough for Emma. Who was she to step in and tell the girl she could do better, much better? Why ruin a perfectly okay arrangement? There was that question again.

Somehow during the last couple of thoughts she'd gravitated towards Emma's dagger and rises from her seat slowly. Her footsteps muted in the otherwise vacant room until she stands before the seemingly harmless blade, hips bending as she reaches for it. Perfectly manicured fingers wrap around the handle slowly, teantively before lifting it to cradle against her chest as if in apology for her actions. She leans heavily against the cold wall before heavily sinking down into a sitting position. Legs outstretched, Regina places the powerful item in her lap and narrows her eyes as if she's seeing something entirely different.

"I used to hate it when I saw you. It made my blood boil, made my stomach churn." She smiles wryly at those memories. That was a whole different life. Two entirely different people. A different time.

Her eyes close of their own accord and she wills her tears to stay locked away. Because she can't let herself... not in front of her... but she's not really here, is she? She's alone.

"And then... You became bearable" her voice cracks but the teasing mock isn't lost in the silence surrounding her. It's so familiar, it almost sounds cozy, welcoming. "Emma Swan, why?" She whispers while looking down at the reflection of her own red-rimmed chocolate eyes, staring back at herself from the surface of the cursed blade in her hands.

Now she's sure she's going mental because... well... what sane person, villain or hero, talks to a knife?

**A/N: Aw, poor Regina! She deserves a break, don't you think? But what fun would that be?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3!!! My apologies, my lovelies, unfortunately there is brief Outlaw Queen in this particular chapter. Not much, but enough to make a point. There is no hate towards OQ or CS. Everyone has a preference.**

**A/N: All rights to Once Upon a Time belong to ABC and Disney.**

She'd let him in. Of course she had. What else was she supposed to do? She wouldhave expected that he'd stop by sooner or later. She would have, had her mind not been completely pre-occupied with more important matters that is. "

'Darling you look exhausted." Is the first thing he says. Yes, because  _that_  is exactly how every woman loves to be greeted, isn't it? "Let's go home." he says. It doesn't even sound like a suggestion. It actually sounds like he's telling her rather than asking. Nonetheless… his voice is soft and tender.

Regina wants to sigh and roll her eyes but she suppresses the urge, not fully certain the man deserves it. Yet. Her eyes are roaming all over the foreign writings in front of her. It's been a week. She's eaten,but very little. She's slept, but just barely. She's seen Henry. Not enough. And Robin… she'd seen him late at night and early in the morning more often than not sleeping already or still, but now really isn't the time to catch up.

"I just need some more time. I just need something..."She says as if it's answer enough as to why she can't and won't leave her vault. "How about" He steps up behind her and softly suggests: "you take a warm bath, then I can assist you in the kitchen and we have a nice night in. Just the two of us." He then puts both of his large, calloused hands on both of her thin shoulders. His palms are so overly warm, they always are, and her shoulders so unsurprisingly tense.

"'Excuse me?" She narrows her eyes, unable to keep the annoyance of his disturbance a secret anymore and slightly turns her torso to glare at him. "I could give you a nice long massage... help you relax Thick eyebrows rise as he gives her a small suggestive smile, clearly oblivious to his own stupidity. When she catches the slightly darker glint in those big eyes of his Regina turns around entirely, tightens her jaw and balls both of her hands into fists, burying ten sharp nails into the soft palms of deceivingly delicate hands.

"I'm sorry, did you fall and hit your head?" She says, trying to sound mocking rather than upset. "I…" for a moment there, he's genuinely confused as to why she would think he'd fallen, until the man catches up on the reality of the situation. He shakes his head from side to side "Regina, you're not taking care of yourself... At least let me do it for you... "and pleads. She hates when he pleads.

Now his hands wrap around the brunette's upper arms, rubbing her up and down. To say she feels claustrophobic could be considered the understatement of the year. Regina pinches her eyes closed tightly, opens them and takes a deliberate step backwards. "By luring me into having  _sex_?" Her voice wavers just slightly as she's trying so hard to keep her composure. Not fully picking up on the fact that what Regina needs right now is space Robin closes the newly created distance between them. The moment Regina's firm rear bumps the desk behind her she brings up her hands to push against Robin's shoulders. "That... Is not what I was implying." He softly tells her, doing nothing but continue to make her more uncomfortable. "But I'd like to think you wouldn't need to be  _lured_  into that with me. Although you have been rather ... distracted..."

Whether the hurt in his voice is played or genuine… it's present and not something Regina feels she can deal with right now. Because… seriously? How dare he victimize himself and try to make her feel guilty? "Distracted? That's the term you're going for?" She snaps defiantly while pushing at his shoulders in dire need of air and space. Distance, really. The man's mouth falls open, now clearly feeling offended. His face shoots a vivid red as his voice grows loud. "No, you know what? You're right...  _Obsessive_  might be more suitable"

"How  _dare_ you?!"Regina flashes her teeth as the Queen had done so many times before, instantly feeling livid by the accusatory tone he's taken on. His flaring nostrils and red shot eyes are so very unattractive, she silently registers while trying to keep her distance from this man who is rapidly loosing his temper and is obviously… physically a lot stronger than she is. "Regina, you have to listen to me. You're j-" He hovers over her,pleading eyes boring into angry ones.

"You don't get to tell me what to do."Regina yells and it's inevitable… tears have found their way to the surface as her cheeks grow wet. Robin's shocked, his eyes and mouth are wide. The words lost in his throat. Finally… he steps back. Several steps. "I... That came out wrong. I'm sorry, Regina. I just ... It hurts to see you like this. You need to take a break from all of this... this madness. Let me help you" He's close to tearing up too now. Feeling her slip away. "You want to help?" She swallows and materializes a box of tissues, wiping at her cheeks.

"Of course..." Desperation is lacing his voice and making it further unattractive to her ears at the moment. "Make sure Henry is safe." She asks him loud and clear, but they both know it's an order. "He is. He's with his grandparents. Roland is with them too, I hope that's alright." Robin clears his throat awkwardly, now looking anywhere but at the woman in front of him. "Of course. I'd hate for them to see me like this." Regina says flatly. She straightens out her clothing and posture while blinking more tears away and biting her lower lip hard. "They wouldn't have to if you took care of yourself." Robin murmurs under his breathe, waving his hands in front of himself if only to keep them occupied. Regina furrows her brows in annoyance at his condescending tone and thoughts that he knows what she needs. "What are you blabbering about, Robin?" She sighs "This isn't about me... this is about..."

"Emma." Robin quickly interrupts her, his eyes back on hers. "It's about doing what's right." She turns around and picks up a random book, hoping Robin will get the message and leave already. He doesn't leave and lets out a frustrated sigh instead. "She's not your responsibility." "Do you hear yourself?" Regina snaps. She turns around with squared shoulders and clenched teeth. Robin instantly looks deflated. He shakes his head and swallows thickly. "I don't know what you expect me to say." "I... expect  _nothing_  of you, Robin." Regina informs him softly, emphasizing the word to make a point. The expression on her face is one desperate for distance, he finally realizes. "And that's exactly why this hurts so very much." His voice is hoarse as if spent from screaming. Regina rubs her eyes and breathes out heavily. "I don't have time for this now, Robin. I need to get back to.." "Saving the Saviour. Rather ironic when you come to think of it." He snorts.

"We all need saving sometimes." "And what if I need you?" He puts so much weight to each word as if expecting for them to affect Regina, to change her mind. "Right now, she needs me more." Is all she says though. It's a bitter pill for the man to swallow and he rolls his eyes before sneering. "Or is it you that needs her?" "She's Henry's mother' Regina croaks. " _You_  are Henry's mother,Regina. You're the one who raised him." Robin chuckles bitterly. Something seems to have snapped inside of the man. Regina notices immediately. It's in his eyes, his tone, his stance. "You need to leave now." She informs him coldly. "Not if you're not coming too." "Don't make me use force, Robin." "Please Regina." "Get out."

After he'd left, she'd cried. A lot. Not even fully certain why, but she decides to blame it on the overflow of emotions. The confrontation with Robin had been painful and harsh. On both of them. His need for physical confirmation of their bond was obvious, but she couldn't and wouldn't do that now. It's the last thing she needs ... How dare he even expect her to be in the mood. And to look so very hurt at realizing she isn't. It's always about him, isn't? He always needs to be someone's center of attention. Someone's primary need. Only... To her he'd never been that... Not even their soul mate status could provide that kind of bond between them... Not from her side, but it had always been something, hadn't it? First the pressure of the expectations that being soul mates brings with it. Tip toeing around each other in order to be perfect for the other. At least that's how Regina had experienced it. Then again, she'd blamed the feeling of un-easiness on fresh love. That's what this was after all, right? Then the arrival of Marian in Storybrooke had ruined absolutely everything. Regina had been so angry at Emma for that,angry enough that, if she let herself, she would have gone running backto her tight outfits and burnt the town to the ground with a laugh. She'd cursed the blonde a 1000 times and then some. Figuratively speaking of course. She'd never... Well,not anymore at least. The Evil Queen has come a long way. She was really upset though... Angry that Emma had taken away what was supposed to be her happy ending... Until she started to realize that that was all it was... The feeling of loss originated from losing her supposed happy ending... Which yes, happened to come in the form of Robin Hood, but when she'd mourn for what she'd lost she'd mourn the feeling she was hoping to some day have with him... once they'd have been gray and old and bound through life rather than fate and pixie dust. The moment she came to the conclusion that she never mourned the loss of his hands on her waist or his eyes boring in hers. That she didn't miss his voice and the way he felt against her at night...

"You know why it hurt so much when you brought back Marian, Emma?" she speaks to the empty room, a strange comfort that she's indulged herself in lately. "It's because that was the moment I realized that my heart was never his. Pixie dust turns out to be just that... dust. And happy endings are exactly this world's definition of fairy tales. Fake. It's all so beautiful to tell and hear... but in reality... it's nothing but a cold shower." she gives a weak laugh, but it's fake even to her own ears "I was so mad at you... Because you made me face the truth, Emma, and it hurt so bad...to realize that I'd never have it... What I've always wanted... And for the sole reason that it doesn't exist. Not in this realm... not in any." she paces the floor a little, a sender hand resting on the wall just out of her sight as a curious visitor listens. "You know what's ironic? When we were working together to get me my happy ending... what I felt during that time... has been so much more intense than anything I've felt since I've had it. I guess it is, in a way, easier now. Now that I know it's all lies andmake believe. I have absolutely no expectations anymore,but I guess that's what it's like for everybody." she pauses her pacing and settles on the ottoman in front of one of her many mirrors, eyes downcast as she closes and opens her hands a few times, forcing her voice to work again.

"Is it really worth it though? Is this how you feel with your pirate too? Is it enough for you? Because..." Regina closes her eyes and breathes in slowly "if that's all I'll ever have ... I think I'm done with it, Emma...As long as Henry's happy. If i don't get that happy ending... I don't want to pretend to have it either. I've acted out enough roles in my life... I just ... I just need to be Regina now. Just Regina...Not some kind of lovesick plaything for him to use... And make him feel special... Robin's been so needy... It's awful... And I can't bring myself to... I just can't. I've had enough of that during my marriage with Leopold. After that I swore I'd never..." she clenches her hands as the memories of those horrible nights in a bedchamber far from here try to force their way in, memories of a scared girl who was slowly broken. "I just can't deal with him right now. I promised your parents to bring you back. I promised Henry too, but what if I can't do it? What if just like happy endings... good prevailing... is all just make believe as well?" she lets out a heavy sigh and rests her head in her hands, blonde tresses pressed to the stone to listen better to the willingly shared wounds of the former Queen.

**A/N: There we are, ladies and gents! Our dear Queen is facing quite the conflicts right now, isn't she? But, now she's not alone in that vault of hers anymore, she just doesn't know it yet. Don't run too far now, the next chapter will be here before you know it! Rate and review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Apologies ahead of time, my loves. This is an extremely short chapter, one of the shortest in the story so far. It was written in haste several years ago. Nonetheless, enjoy!**

"So, what do we have?" Snow's tone is hopeful and eager. Very eager. It makes Regina positively sick. Naturally, she wants to roll her eyes and sneer that  _they_  don't have anything. Well...  _she_  doesn't have anything. The baby-faced, raven haired woman had invited Regina over for dinner the night before but Regina had declined. Obviously.

One: she hasn't been hungry. And two: any appetite that might have magically occurred would have instantly disappeared when seated across from Snow and James. So naturally, yes. She'd declined. Snow's insistence hadn't been tempered though and so eventually Regina had grumpily agreed on meeting for coffee at the Charming's loft.

Which is exactly where she's finding herself now. "Regina?" Of course. Regina wishes she could express her annoyance at the woman's question by spitting in that overly hopeful face of hers that  _she and she alone_  had worked out a great plan to get Emma back. But alas, that's something she's not capable of doing. Instead she inhales sharply and licks her lips, feeling nauseatingly nervous about breaking the bad news. It's so unlike her which makes all of this even worse. Makes her feel worse. She picks up the cup of less than even mediocre coffee, takes a sip or two and shakes her head. "Nothing as of yet."

"What does that mean?" Snow softly croaks as she openly studies the other woman's face. Regina looks up to lock eyes with her and calculates her next words carefully. "It means…" She slowly begins, gripping the cup in her hands a little tighter. "that I'll have to continue searching." her lips form a tense line. "Oh." Snow looks and sounds deflated. In a way, Regina's rather surprised that both she and Charming had been so very confident that she'd find the perfect solution. If only she cared. And if only said confidence hadn't been entirely misplaced. Because here she sits. Biting her lip in annoyance at the situation. What an unfortunate position to be in. Here. In this house. With this woman. With this message to bring. And once this lousy cup of coffee is downed she's got the prospect of going back to searching, but not finding...Emma. Great.

"I'm not giving up." She then suddenly blurts out. Completely by accident because she immediately regrets it. "I mean..." "Thank you, Regina. I have no idea what we'd do without you." Snow tells her in a surprisingly composed tone. Regina snorts and glares dangerously into dark brown eyes. "I've done nothing, Snow." "You've been trying." she smiles compassionately. "And it's been useless." Regina nods and sneers venomously. The other woman sighs and purses her lips. The sadness in her eyes is evident but she slowly shakes her head while staring at the table. "Regina, you have no idea how important your work has been." she softly tells her. "Did you not just hear me?! I just told you it's all been useless." "And that's where you're wrong. Every dead end. Every useless trail…" "Is there a point to this?" "I'm just trying to make you realize that… yes, you might not have found the solution yet… But you've ruled out a lot of things… gained information we never would have found without you." "Useless information." "And most importantly, you haven't given up on her." The silence right there right then is so deafeningly loud and heavy. The air is too warm and too suffocating that Regina wants to get up and run outside but at the same time she's paralyzed. If only she were numb. But no, right now she feels absolutely everything. To the extent that she's not even sure what it is she's feeling or rather has no clue.

"In all of this… that's worth everything, Regina. We'll get through this. We'll get her back. As long as we don't lose hope. We won't lose her. Your belief in this and her… means everything." Thick tears roll over and down chubby, pale, lightly rosy cheeks. And those eyes. Those eyes so full of that horrid compassion. Regina's rendered 100% speechless and pinches her own fingers hard. They sit there for who knows how many seconds or minutes until Regina just can't take it anymore. "I have to go." She murmurs while getting up and longingly looking at the door. "Now? Where are you going?" Snow actually sounds a little surprised by the announcement. "My vault." Regina sighs and doesn't even know why she's answering the other woman at all. it's not like it's any of her business. A look of understanding crosses Snow's face. "Are you going to..." "What do you think?" Regina interrupts her quickly. Annoyed by her own need to do that and by the fact that she's actually still standing there, rather than exiting the building. Snow's eyes search hers. It actually feels like an intrusion. It's all too much so she averts her eyes, turns around and leaves.

The next couple of hours she spends in silence. Intense silence. Regina doesn't even notice time slipping by. She's walking through her mind. If anyone from any realm can solve this mess, it's her. She's not too self-conscious to know that. But why is she getting nowhere? She should have never gone to Snow White's little get together. If anything it's thrown her off track even more. "Her hope is misplaced, you know. She and your father have their "I'll always find you" bullshinonesense going on and it's insufferable and naïve because that's not how it works, Emma. They've had their dumb luck… and they've had you… If they hadn't had you… well they'd have never found each other, would they?" she lets out a bitter laugh at the memory of the blonde savior breaking her curse., even as said savior presses closer to the stone on the other side of the wall: listening. "I can't stand how she looks at me. It's the same way she used to… So hopeful it's sickening and it's… not realistic. The last time I gave any worth to that look in her eyes… my trust was completely betrayed and well… we all know how that turned out. And now she actually dares to regard me like that again." she shakes her head firmly, chocolate locks bouncing across her shoulders in an attempt to follow the movement. "And well yes, okay looking back… back then she was a child and one can expect from a child to… act childish. She was such a little princess." Regina spits the word in annoyance. "A sweetheart, strolling around the castle… everyone's favorite little girl. Even I fell for it." She shrugs. "But today she's not a child and still…" She sighs and shakes her head. She can't do this right now. She can't focus on Mary Margaret right now. Another few moments of long stretched silence fill the time and space around Regina until her voice, much more fragile than typical pierces it slowly. "Does this really matter? Do you think it matters? That I… that I'm still sitting here…" green eyes peer around the wall, wanting to see the former queen, the former mayor, as she speaks, nails gripping the stone tightly. She's not ready to face her just yet, Regina isn't ready either. "Because Emma, I could really use a sign. Some actual hope. Not your doe eyed mother's uncomfortable stare. Please…" She softly begs, tiredly. And then shakily holds her breath, mouth agape. She holds it as long as she can. What did she expect? Emma hadn't appeared in all the time Regina had possessed the dagger. At least, she had never seen the blonde. She swallows three times, bites her upper lip and then caves. Air fills her lungs and the possibility of hope evaporates instantly. Regina can't help but feel utterly ridiculous. Embarrassed by her how behavior, she stoically stands up, refusing to spare that stupid dagger another glance. She takes her purse and exits her vault. And there is no way she is going to acknowledge thick tears rolling down her flushed cheeks, her heaving chest and her breaking heart.

Once the vault is empty, the former savior steps into the room, still warm from Regina's presence. Her hand gently curls around the handle of the dagger and lifts it. Sad, pained green eyes tracing the letters of her own name. Is this what darkness is? Watching those you care for fall apart slowly because of you? She lets the blade fall back to the cushioned bench from which she took it before turning and retreating back to her place in the shadows, following the crestfallen brunette until she steps safely over the threshold of her home.

**A/N: Well, my Ducklings and Regals, there we go. Our first full Emma scene. There will be more in coming chapters and she may come face to face with our queen sooner than you think. Keep reading to find out what's in store for our favorite duo. Review, favorite and follow to let us know how much you love it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Welcome back, Regals and Ducklings alike! If you're still with me so far, I hope you're enjoying my own little twist on this tale.** **We'll be seeing a lot more of our Dark Swan from this point on. However, this particular chapter is completely Believer Queen based. Lots of mother-son love! Enjoy!**

"Maybe you should take some time for yourself." He's not looking at her when he tells her. Instead he's focusing on the sandwich he just made himself knowing his mom might not react too warmly to the suggestion and actually finding the way the peanut butter and jelly mix together a little -strangely- fascinating.

"You too now? Henry please..." And well, Regina does react as expected. She sighs heavily and regards him sternly, both of her hands on her hips. After taking a bite,taking twice as long to do so as he usually would -because mom's watching-, swallowing and turning his attention to the tense woman standing next to him, he shrugs his shoulders casually.

"No, but seriously mom, it kind of makes sense, no?" He's rehearsed this conversation several times and knows for a fact that she's going to ask "What? What makes sense?" Bingo. Henry clears his throat, puts his sandwich down and puts both of his -somewhat sticky hands- in the pockets of his jeans. Much like his other mother would, actually. Regina notices and ignores. "Wouldn't you be able to focus better on helping Emma if you were better rested?" He suggests in a rather small voice. Raising one of his thicker growing eyebrows at his mom.

Oh he's feeling rather brave, alright. She swallows as her jaw tightens. Someone has been feeding you nonsense. Who was it?" Regina's already mentally strangling whoever dared to approach her son and talk about what would be good for her. No one is to put a burden on her boy like that. "What? No one." He says but just a little bit too quickly for her to believe him. He does stand his ground though. Plus his voice is unwavering. "So it's your own great idea that I should stop looking for your mother?" She raises a skeptical eyebrow of her own. Being an intelligent boy he averts the question smoothly... "I didn't say you should stop looking. Just, take a break you know?" He shakes his head and smiles effortlessly as if he's simply... suggesting to have pizza. Just like that. So easy, right? Right...

"No, Henry. I don't know. Actually I really don't understand it... What happened? Emma's your hero... Your savior and now you're saying I shouldn't..." Her stance has changed now. She's got one hand planted on the countertop and the other running through her hair. Henry's supposed to be the blonde's biggest mascot, no? What happened? Why is he not completely supporting her? If someone should understand it should be him...

"Mom... We'll get Emma back..." He softly tells her in that croaking teenage boy voice of his. Causing his mom to flinch momentarily. She shakes her head fast from left to right to left. "Not if we're not looking." Her eyes plead him to be on her side in this. It's silent for a couple of moments. Pregnantly so. Henry inhales deeply and decides to voice what's really bothering him... Scaring him a little, perhaps. "I can't lose you too, mom." His shoulders raise and fall before he looks down at the tips of his shoes. "Henry... You won't" Regina's right there in front of him, holding his shoulders. Her head tilted and those big brown eyes of hers searching his in desperation. "Robin says" he tries but doesn't get to say because quite frankly... Regina's had enough of the Forest thief's interference... "Ignore whatever Robin says. He had no idea what he's talking about." She sternly tells the boy, holding back profanities about he who'd dared to talk about her to her one and only son.

"He's just concerned for you, mom" Henry smiles meekly, now actually looking at her. She curls her nose a little, then quickly straightens out her features and takes a step back before sighing. "Yes, well I don't need his concern." She delicately lets her hands even out all of the imaginary wrinkles on her outfit. "Okay." Henry slowly says, drawing out the word and then clicks his tongue. Knowing it'll annoy his mom and surely catch her attention. "Henry..." And yes, she does look up and narrows her eyes a little dangerously. But not really that dangerously. Never at him. "No nothing... I just..." He throws his hands up and shakes his head defensively, but the look on his face tells her more, yet not enough...

"What is it, dear? You know you can tell me..." Regina asks him, afraid that something might be horrible wrong. Something she's not able to fix... again. "Are Robin and you..." Henry murmurs. His cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink. "What?" While she holds her breath. "Are you still together?" He keeps his eyes on hers. Ready to read the truth in there, in case she's not willing to share it with him verbally. He's right. She doesn't say anything. In fact she doesn't even blink. "You're not, are you?" So he asks her again. This time she does react. Looking down, rubbing the back of her neck, clearing her throat, "No...I mean, yes" saying contradicting stuff.

Henry rolls his eyes and sighs loudly... "Which one is it, yes or no?" This time it's him who softly puts his hands on his mother's shoulders. Not nessecarily holding her in place but just giving her something to hold onto... If that's what she needs. "I don't have time for distractions now, darling. I need to focus on..." She shakes her head and looks away. "Emma..." He nods and completes her thought and sentence. "Well, yes... She'd do the same for... well, anyone really... knowing your mother." She snorts and rolls her eyes but also smiles at the simple fact that Emma is just too much of a hero for her own damn good. Or well... was... before she turned dark and all. Besides, there should be a rule against turning dark after such a selfless deed, shouldn't there? Like... If you offer yourself up to the dark... for no reason but to save someone else and what they've worked so... The dark should react differently. it should... refuse to take you...

"She would." Henry pulls her from her thoughts and smiles at her. Wide and wide eyed, tearing up. But just a little since he's a man now. "I owe this to her, Henry." His brunette mother then tells him quietly. "Is that why you're doing it? Because you owe it to her?" He knows that's not the only reason and she does too. "Of course not." She shakes her head and answers him, a little annoyed that he's actually asking her that... "Then why else?" He dares her to answer. As inquisitive as his mother. Both of them. "Just... I don't know, dear." She shrugs and sighs. What is she supposed to say? Okay... there might be other reasons as to why she's so invested into helping Emma... but who's to say what exactly those reasons are? It's not like she sits around all day and pounders on why she wants Emma to come back so badly... She just knows she wants her back... That's all she knows and all she needs to know the rest is content to be figured out at a later date.

"I do." Henry decidedly tells her "You do?" She swallows a little, rather nervous for what he might actually have come up with. "Yeah. It's because you're awesome." They both smile at each other and for a moment Regina's forgotten all of her worries. Each and every one of them. Doesn't she just have the best son in the whole wide world? "Henry."

"I'm proud of you, mom" He nods.

"I..."

"I'll keep Robin distracted..." He turns away from her and returns his attention to his afternoon snack. "You don't have" Regina shakes her head. This really isn't something he should have to deal with... "...until Emma's back." He interrupts her, this time before swallowing. She doesn't scold him though, not in the least paying attention to his eating manners right now. Not while she's so very concerned that she's burdening him with problems that aren't his to have to think about.

"Sweetheart, that's not your responsibility." She tells him pointedly, but knows that he's too much like his other mother to let it go. "Then you really have to tell him." He says and that startles her at least a little. Unsure of what he means she slowly asks him... "Tell him what?" While searching his face for lies and truths. "How you really feel." He shrugs non-chalantly. Not giving quite enough away for her to draw conclusions and react appropriately to whatever it is he's implying. "Henry" She warningly says his name but for no particular reason, really. "Mom, I love you." He sighs and looks at her. When their eyes lock he offers her a little smile. Little but beautiful and enough to warm her heart as his smile always does. Especially when directed at her. "I love you too." She smiles back at him and strokes a hand through that messy hair of his. When was the last time he had a haircut, anyways?

"If you need help" He says with another mouthful. This time she does notice and winces a little. But she doesn't speak on it. Still feeling just a tad too emotional for lectures. "You'll be the first to know." She reassures him instead with an accompanying nod. "Really?" He actually hadn't expected her to say that. He's always too young and too fragile for anything, no? "Of course. Who else would I be able to trust?" Oh but yes... That does sound like the truth coming from his brunette mother's mouth. He smirks deviously and snickers slightly... "Surely not Prince Charming or Captain Hook."

Narrowed eyes and that teasing tone of his tell her he is joking but who does he actually think he is making fun of the Evil Queen? Well... Former. But semantics, right? "Do you want to be grounded, young man?" She threatens him dangerously actually making him shiver a little. "I'm out. I'm out! I was only joking mom!" He runs out of the kitchen but not before stuffing his face with the last of his sandwich. "You got your mother's sense of humor it seems." She yells after him while chuckling and taking the dish towel to clean the traces of jelly Henry's left sticking to the counter. "Funny, she always tells me the same thing." She hears him snort in amusement. And for a moment everything feels normal. For a moment, she ignores everything she knows... And just revels in the fact that she... and Emma... have an amazing child. Together.

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and our**   **look inside Regina and Henry's relationship. Our Queen is coming to terms with her lack of feelings towards Mr. Hood. Don't fret though, our next chapter will bring our Queen face to face with her future.**


	6. Chapter 6

******A/N: Here we are, lovelies, chapter 6! Apologies for the shortness of this chapter, this is the second short one to be tapped out in the early years. We just saw Regina and Henry spend some quality time together, but I think it's time for something a little darker, don't you? Here we go...**

Rain. A soft sigh escapes red lips as the brunette peers from the doorway of her vault. Why is it always raining in Maine? She wanted those idiots to suffer, but rain didn't seem to be biased. When it rained, everyone was unhappy.

"It's just water." The voice, too close to her ear for comfort, makes her startle for the briefest moment before she turns to give the culprit a verbal lashing but her words die in her throat. The blonde watches her from the other end of the doorway, a mere 4 inches separating them. "Hello, Regina. Did you miss me?" Her voice is silky, but tinged with undeniable darkness and it sends shivers down the back of the former Queen.

"Where have you been, Emma?" She almost whispers the words despite the rain pelting against the stone roof of the mausoleum. "It's been weeks since you disappeared. We thought..."She's interrupted by that cool voice again "I know what you thought. I've been watching, observing. " Green eyes turn back to watch the rain soak the ground, a slender hand reaching just enough to catch a few drops and watch them slip through her fingers. "Why are you trying so hard, Regina? I'm finally out of the way."

"Out of the way? Emma, you were sucked up by a vortex of evil. Our son has been worried sick, I've been..." she stops then because it's too close...she's too close. "It's been hard on all of us." She turns away, brunette locks swaying as she retreats back into the privacy of her vault.

She doesn't have to hear her footsteps or feel her breath nearly on her neck to know that the once great Savior has followed her back into her sanctuary. "I'm not giving you the dagger, Emma. It's not safe." The blonde waves a hand carelessly "I have no use for the dagger. If I wanted it, I would have taken it when you left it unattended two nights ago. Or when you and your  _true love_  were fighting. I've had my chances, you just haven't paid very close attention."

For a moment, there's only silence...heavy, stifling silence until Regina forces herself to speak. "You've been here? You've listened to me fight with...how much have you heard, Emma?" "Enough. I became interested when you began talking about your time as the Evil Queen, about Henry...about me. " Green meets brown and there's a mixture of emotion between them.

"Those moments were private..." "Nothing is private, Regina. You were speaking to my dagger,  _to me._  Does Robin know? About these thoughts you have?" It's not mocking or even cruel...it's something softer. Understanding. "Does he know about your infertility because of...of my grandfather? My mother?" "No." The word is shaky but loud enough to be heard. "He doesn't know anything about me."

More silence. Followed by the soft ruffing of papers being moved and a quiet sigh. "You have to know this is never what I wanted for you, Emma...for anyone. I've been in that darkness. I know how powerful it can make you feel, but I also know the price it comes at and it's never an easy one to pay..." The blonde nods slowly in agreement "This was my own choice. I was never really built to save myself, just everyone else." Green meets brown once more before the pale blonde speaks again "I saved you, now save me."

The pressure and need behind the statement is felt in every fiber of her being, but a queen never admits when she's frightened. "I'm trying. " The words are heavy in the air between them as they survey each other. Regina, eyes rimmed with dark circles from lack of sleep, swallowing thickly to keep her composure. "I meant what I said...my apologies.

Emma moved slowly around the vault, fingers skimming over the walls and shelves of various trinkets. It's several minutes before she offers any kind of response. "I know. I can always tell when you're lying, since the day I met you." Something akin to a smile forms on her own vividly red lips " Do you remember, Regina? The way you looked at me that first day? You were...well, horrified doesn't begin to cover it, does it?" They both share a bitter chuckle before the brunette nods. "I thought I was going to lose everything I worked for. My son...my power...instead, I gained a friend. Several, if I'm being honest."

"Honest..." the word is quiet as the blonde smiles a little bigger "You were always good at being honest, brutally so. I remember thinking I'd never met anyone quite like you. Conniving, sneaky, brash...but you were so good to Henry. Even when he thought you were evil, you were everything he wanted." Brown eyes widen as they lift to meet emerald ones. "Really? He...Did he say that?" "He never had to, Regina. You're his mother. He wanted you to be happy."

"Happy...I forgot what that felt like until I adopted Henry. I forgot what it was like to have someone that I didn't have to hide my real self from." Emma looks at her with a slight tilt of her head,her eyes filled with understanding "It does get lonely in the shadows, doesn't it?"

Regina moves closer, just a few steps "Emma, I need you to promise me something. Whatever you do, don't give into the darkness, no matter how tempting. Evil isn't born, it's made, but it's only made if you give in to it like I did. I had nothing. I had no family left, no friends, all I had was my anger and my hatred. You...You have parents who love you. You have Henry, who wants so desperately for you to come back. You have me."

The silence that stretches between them is almost palpable, each surveying the other. Emma's voice is soft when she does speak "That's all I wanted since I set foot in Storybrooke. I'll fight, Regina, but I need you."

**A/N: And there we have it! Our Queen and her Savior, together at last...well, sort of. Soon enough! Review and follow!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright loves, this is where I picked up our story after a 3 year hiatus. You may notice a difference in the writing though I hope it's not a bad one. I had a co-writer previously and we went our separate ways. Please enjoy!**

_ “I’ll fight, Regina, but I need you.” _

 

The words had been playing over in the Queen’s head since her encounter with the former savior the previous evening. It had been late and the only thing keeping Regina company was the sound of the rain falling above her. She had learned though that she was never truly alone. 

 

Emma had been there. All this time, all those moments alone, Emma had been there. Listening, learning and processing. 

 

Regina mindlessly reached to her left and ran her finger over the cool metal of the dagger, using it to ground herself and focus on the task at hand. It had been almost 6 weeks since the product of the Truest Love had been engulfed in darkness after sacrificing herself. For her, for Regina, no less. 

 

She had refrained from talking to herself since learning the blonde had been listening. She wasn’t sure she was ready, just yet. No, not yet. There was a time to tell Emma all the things she wanted to tell her, but now was not that time. She pulled her hand away from the dagger as she found herself tracing the letters etched on it. 

 

“You seem distracted, Madam Mayor.” There was hardly a reaction this time in comparison to the first time the Dark One had appeared to the Queen. She had grown used to the feeling of her presence, visible or not. 

 

“Yes, well…...I’m no closer to finding an answer than I was before.” She turned in her seat to face the woman, dark eyes wandering over the ghostly white hair which clashed horridly against the woman’s already pale complexion “I don’t suppose you’ve brought any of that infamous knowledge that all you dark ones seem to possess?” She tilts her head slightly to regard the younger woman. 

 

A pale brow rose in a show of amusement, red lips quirking upwards minutely. “Can’t say that I have. Although, I have noticed something you may find….enlightening.” The word rolled off her tongue in a husky tone that made Regina suppress a shiver. 

 

“Oh? And what, exactly, was it that you found to enlighten me?” The mayor folded her hands in her lap and let herself relax her posture, the hours of sitting and pouring over books and scrolls had done a number on her back. 

 

Wordlessly the leather clad woman reached up and undid the tight bun atop her head,letting her snow white (oh, how ironic, the queen thought) hair fall around her shoulders. She used a slender finger to lift a portion of her hair, exposing several tresses hidden beneath and the older woman felt her breath catch in her throat. They were blonde. Not platinum blonde or silver blond. They were Emma blonde, her Emma. 

 

“You…..you’re hair. I don’t understand.” Regina rose to her feet and moved closer to get a better look, running a finger over the silky strands “It’s like….the darkness is leaving little by little…..” Brown eyes met green and she frowned slightly at how much darker Emma’s eyes looked. They were once so vibrant and they had that sparkle…..the sparkle that kind of danced when she got excited, usually about food.

 

The silence stretched between them as both women took into account their proximity to one another, Regina’s fingers remaining against the younger woman’s neck, gently fingering the strands of hair to ensure herself it’s not a dream. The response comes slowly and quietly “It started the first night you spoke to my dagger. Every time you’ve revealed something about yourself…..about me, I change.” 

 

The soft gasp that escapes pink lips seems to echo in the vault, reverberating back ten fold. The words themselves aren’t what truly terrified Regina. No, the words could be ignored, could be misheard. It was the look in the intense green eyes staring back at her. The truth and sincerity she saw there was enough to make her knees tremble, but the hope that flashed briefly only to disappear was what made them give out as the queen felt her world tilt. Strong arms held her steady as the weight of the last few weeks caught up with her. 

 

She was the one. She was the one who had to save Emma. It was her. It had always been her. 

 

When her eyes finally opened, the brunette was confused and more than a bit startled to find herself in her own bed. She sat up slowly and rubbed her head, trying to piece together how she had gotten there from her vault. She was talking to Emma and….Emma! Where was Emma?

Dark eyes scanned the room until a soft voice sounded in her ear. 

 

“Lay back down, you need more rest.” A strong, pale arm appeared around her midsection, pulling her back down to the mattress. “Emma?” After a brief struggle, the queen turned herself so she was facing the infuriating woman, her eyes soft. “You brought me here?” Neither woman takes the moment to mention that Emma has yet to remove her arm from around the smaller woman. 

 

“You were tired. You needed to rest. You can’t run yourself into the ground trying to save me, Regina.” While the tone remains a bit flat and monotonous, the concern is still evident in the Dark One’s voice. Green eyes continue observing her, narrowing a bit to account for the woman’s close proximity. “You should go back to sleep.”

 

As tempting as arguing sounded to Regina, the thought of continuing to sleep beside the object of her, as of yet still unacknowledged feelings, won out in the end. The brunette nodded a bit and bit her lip for a moment. “You have to promise to stay. You can’t just disappear again, okay?” 

 

A slight tilt of the head as this condition was taken under advisement was the only indication that the words hadn’t fallen on deaf ears. After what seemed like an eternity, she received a nod of agreement “Very well, but you have to rest.” 

 

A stifled yawn told the blonde all she needed to know and she settled back into a moderately comfortable position, her arm remaining around the queen’s waist as she listened to her breathing begin to even out. 

 

Yes, it had always been her. Even before the darkness and the dagger, it had always been Regina Mills who would save the Savior from herself.

**A/N: I know, I know! The formatting on this one was terrible. Like I said, 3 years. It gets better!**

 


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 8, this one is much more detailed as I found my footing and my niche in this particular story. Enjoy!**

Regina woke slowly that morning, going so far as to squeeze her eyes shut a bit more tightly to try and salvage a few more moments of blissful sleep. Fifteen minutes found the temperamental brunette abandoning her attempts at returning to the dream she had so unwillingly vacated. It wasn’t until she made to rise from her current position that she became acutely aware of the arm resting low around her hips. 

Pearly white teeth gently sunk into a plump lip as the queen contemplated her options. While she was thrilled that Emma had kept her promise not to disappear as soon as she was asleep, Regina knew there would, inevitably, be a conversation about her revelations to the dagger and, unknowingly, to Emma herself. 

The movement roused the Dark One who, for the briefest of moments, woke up very much like Emma Swan in all of her grunting, stretching glory. Regina stifled a smile and felt a pang in her chest at how much she truly missed the blonde imbecile. “Good morning….” The words were murmured softly but both women knew they hadn’t gone unheard. Emma sat up slowly and regarded the brunette for several long moments, her eyes moving over the mayor’s body as if checking for something in particular. Once the silence began to become uncomfortable, the Dark One spoke. “You slept. Good.”

“Yes, that is generally what people do in their beds, Miss Swan.” Regina snipped lightly, rising from the bed and making her way towards the bathroom. “Yes, I’m quite sure that’s not what most people imagine doing in your bed, your majesty.” Heat coiled low in the older woman’s belly and she paused for just a moment before looking over her shoulder, dark eyes regarding the woman now standing by the window overlooking her back yard. “No, I imagine they don’t, but very few are ever invited to join me beneath my sheets.” 

Piercing green eyes found her with the turn of a head and a slight smirk curled on the blonde’s lips, her voice taking on a huskier tone than it had previously. “I should feel quite honored then, your Majesty.” Regina felt her cheeks flush at the insinuation and turned on her heel, hurrying into the bathroom and snapping the door shut behind her. She pressed her back against the cool wood and closed her eyes, trying to steady her nerves as best she could. 

The now thoroughly unflustered brunette made her way downstairs twenty minutes later, having dressed and gotten ready for the day to come. The queen was equal parts amused and irritated to find the Dark One perched on the edge of her kitchen table, examining her nails with a look of utter boredom. “Make yourself at home, Miss Swan.” She shook her head and made to brew a pot of coffee that would, undoubtedly, be needed today. To say she was surprised to find a pot already brewed was just shy of an understatement. 

Coffee in hand, the mayor returned to the dining table and smacked the leather clad thigh to her right, indicating for the attached offender to remove themself from her table. Pale brows rose slowly before the savior slipped from the table and settled herself in a chair instead, her expression not dissimilar to that of predator observing its prey. 

“Are you going to stare at me all day or are you actually going to attempt to be useful?” The brunette snapped, the constant piercing gaze she felt from the jade eyes was putting her on edge in a way the queen did not particularly enjoy. 

“I have helped. I told you about the dagger and your little….” Emma wiggled her fingers in an oddly dismissive gesture “confessions. The rest is your problem, Madam Mayor.” The disinterest was evident in her voice and it made snapping her mask back in place that much easier for Regina. “Well, if that’s all you’re going to be good for then you can go,  _ Dark One _ . You’ve proved as useless in this state as you are usually. This one just wears tackier leather.” She rose from the table and took her dishes to the sink, discarding her untouched breakfast. 

Regina didn’t bother to spare the younger woman another glance to see if she had in fact left. She gathered her things and snapped the front door shut behind her before getting into her Mercedes and making the short drive back to her vault, stopping at Granny’s on the way to pick up a replacement breakfast. After engaging in a short,albeit pleasant, conversation with the leggy brunette behind the counter, she bid Ruby farewell and continued on her way. 

The first few hours were fruitless as Regina scoured through scrolls and spells in search of any minute scrap of information she could find on reversing the curse of the Dark One. More than once the brunette caught herself gazing at the dagger where it lay on the mantle across the room. She glowered at it and turned her head away each time, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand instead of thinking about the infuriating blonde who had set her on edge hours before. 

She was alone this time, Regina could feel it. The vault felt cold and empty. Maybe it had always felt that way, but lately she hadn’t felt alone. Now, she knew that was because she hadn’t been. The queen rolled her shoulders slowly, groaning quietly at the pops and snaps that accompanied the movement. Her hand moving to the back of her neck to try and alleviate the knot which had formed at the base of her skull and was likely attributing to her continuous headache. “My life was never this complicated before Emma Swan dropped into it like the world’s most undignified bird.” 

She waved her hand lazily and smiled a bit when her bottle of cider from the cabinet in her study appeared in front of her along with a crystal tumbler. She poured herself a healthy amount and recapped the bottle, closing her eyes as she sipped the warm brew. “Undignified is putting it mildly.” She mused aloud, running her fingers through her hair. “Implicitly idiotic is more appropriate, I think. I never had to worry about Henry running off, aside from that once.” She took another sip and hummed at the taste, sparing a glance at the dagger once more. 

She rose slowly from her seat, stretching her body much like a large cat, graceful and leisurely and very predatory. She crossed the room slowly and ran her fingers over the name etched into the metal as she had done easily a hundred times since this whole mess began. “Why did you have to be so reckless? So stupid? So…..goddamn Charming! I had hoped your parents’ idiocy would have skipped a generation.” She finished her drink and waved her hand to pour another. Normally she would refrain from using magic for such meager tasks but she just didn’t have the energy to care right now. 

“My life was so much different before you. Before you crash landed in it and ruined all that I worked so hard to build.” She sighed softly “But you didn’t really ruin it, did you? You started fixing things…..things I didn’t even know were broken. Parts of me I didn’t want to remember were broken…” Her fingers strayed to the scar on her lip and she recalled how kind Emma had been when her mother died even as Regina plotted revenge. Her voice wavered slightly as she continued thinking alou“You were always so…..hopeful. Even when you weren’t, you still were, somehow. I didn’t want to like you….I wanted to hate you for everything I thought you deserved to be hated for.” A soft laugh tumbled past her lips but after a moment it turned into a bitter sound. 

Anger bubbled in the queen as she thought of all the ways Emma Swan had forced her way into her life without invitation. The way she implanted herself in their daily routines and how she seemed to be everywhere, all the time. Regina let loose a scream of unbridled anger, hurling the glass against the stone wall. “I hate you, Emma Swan! Do you hear me? I fucking hate you!” she raked her hands through her hair, chest heaving. “I didn’t ask you to come here! I didn’t ask you to be a part of my life! I didn’t ask you to come in with your Charming genes and your leather jackets and,.....” She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall “I didn’t ask you to break down my walls…...I didn’t ask you….to make me feel these things again. I buried them…..because it hurt too much the first time…..” 

Regina slid down the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees, her body shaking from the emotional turmoil. She whispered softly against her knee “I hate that you make me feel like this…..Like I’m worth something when we both know I’m not. We both know…..that when this is over, you’ll go back to him and I’ll smile…..I’ll say I’m okay and I’ll be happy for you. I’ll be happy for you because you didn’t deserve this…...I didn’t ask you to take the darkness from me…...to pay that price for me…..” She sniffled quietly, the sound echoing off the walls around her. 

No, she didn’t ask Emma to do anything for her. She hadn’t asked to be saved, but somehow, in some unfortunate way, the Savior had found her way into more than just the Evil Queen’s life.

**A/N: Regina is officially 2 for 2 on breakdowns in the vault, but at least we're getting somewhere, right? With all these feelings, Emma can't be clueless, right?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So this chapter is completely about SwanBeliever. We got to see some Regina/Henry love so now it's time that Henry spent some quality time with his other mother, eh?**

Emma sat on the floor of the vault, her back resting against the cool stone that comprised the building. She remained out of view of the currently raging brunette, deciding it was best to keep this particular visit to herself. 

She ran a hand over the leather of her coat, grimacing a bit. It wasn’t the same as the others she owned. This one didn’t fit right, didn’t feel right. It wasn’t hers. It wasn’t something she had picked. None of this was what she had……

She paused for a moment as she remembered that she had, in fact, chosen this. For Regina. She stood by what she had said. The queen had worked too hard to have her chance at happiness destroyed. Emma had assumed she would be planning a wedding with the forest-dweller by now. Instead, much to Emma’s surprise, Robin had scarcely been around since Regina had chosen to stay and work in her vault as opposed to returning to the manor with him. 

The blonde would openly admit that she had been a tad bit smug upon watching the archer slink away with his tail between his legs after the tongue lashing he had received from the older woman. It was nice to see someone else on the receiving end of the admittedly terrifying wrath of the raven haired queen. Emma had never really been able to place the word ‘evil’ in front of the moniker. It just didn’t feel right to her, especially after having witnessed the brunette try to stand up to her mother. 

The blonde felt a shiver run through her at the memory of her own encounter with Cora. Few things scared the Savior, but that woman was easily one of them. This brought the younger woman’s thoughts to the knowledge she possessed since becoming the Dark One. Knowledge of the torment and punishment that Regina had suffered at the hands of both her mother and the king she was forced to wed, Emma’s own grandfather. Her lip curled in a sneer as she thought of how unfortunate it was that she herself was a part of his bloodline. 

Emma craned her head to peek around the wall, finding that the Queen had exhausted herself enough to fall asleep curled up on the floor of her vault. Without making a sound, the blonde rose and emerged from her hiding place, approaching the sleeping woman. She waved her hands and transported both of them to Regina’s bedroom, another flick of the wrist found the woman changed and tucked beneath her duvet. The younger woman found herself standing at the foot of the bed for several minutes, watching the brunette as she slept and trying to pinpoint the feelings she felt stirring within her. She had departed long before the older woman awoke to find herself, once again, alone in her bed. 

The Dark One found that she required very minimal sleep since taking the darkness within herself. This left plenty of time for her to think about the predicament she was in and the choices which had ultimately led her there. Naturally, most of these thoughts eventually turned to her son’s other mother, leading the blonde to realize just how much of her life had Regina entwined in it. 

A knock at the door pulled Emma from her thoughts and she scowled in the direction of the front door. What idiot could possibly be brave enough to knock at her door? She crossed the room briskly and yanked open the door, a snarl forming on her lips in preparation to tear into the uninvited guest. Her expression turned to something akin to confusion at seeing her son standing on her doorstep, his brows knitted in a determined expression that was far too similar to that of his brunette mother. 

“Henry, what are you doing here? You know your mother would be livid if she found out you came to see me alone.” Despite the slight monotone Emma had adopted, her son was able to easily detect the concern and worry that resided within the words. “Yeah, she will, but it’s okay. I needed to talk to you. About Operation Firefly.” He moved around her and ventured further into the house. 

The savior sighed and closed the door before following the path her son had taken, locating him in the kitchen with his head in the fridge “Do you have any juice, Ma?” Emma couldn’t help but be amused at the boy’s question. “You asked me that the day you came to find me.” She waved her hand mindlessly and conjured a container of juice along with a glass. The slight dismay that passed over the brown eyed boy’s expression was not lost on his mother. He never had been the biggest fan of magic, no matter who wielded it. 

After a few moments alloted to allowing Henry to pour himself juice and get comfortable, his mother looked at him expectantly. “What exactly is Operation Firefly? You always seemed more prone to animals than to bugs.” Once again ignoring the drone of her voice, the boy began to explain his plan. “Operation Firefly is what  I’m calling the plan to turn you good again. You know, like how a firefly goes from not having any light to having a really bright one. Mom and I are going to help you find the light again.” He beamed up at her confidently. 

Pale brows lifted in surprise at the matter-of-fact tone that the words came out in, the taller woman making her way closer to the counter to close some of the distance between them. “I see…..and what makes you think that you can save me, kid? I’m darker than most people you’ve met. Darker than even your mother, quite possibly.” 

The despondent tone in his mother’s voice didn’t seem to ruffle the preteen as he continued to smile. “Because we’re family. We always find each other, even if no one is actually missing. You’re not evil, Ma. You saved my mom so she could be happy.” He grasped her hand over the counter and squeezed it as if to emphasize his point. 

The blonde scowled after a moment of contemplation. “Yes, I see how much good my sacrifice did. I haven’t seen Robin Hood anywhere near your mother in weeks.” She seemed to think over something for several more moments before speaking again. “Henry, I need you to do something for me.” The boy pulled back suddenly, his voice laced with a warning “I am  _ not _ stealing the dagger away from my mom!”

She waved her hand dismissively at the thought “I don’t want the dagger. I trust Regina with it, more than I would most other people. I need you to keep an eye on her. She’s not taking care of herself, kid. She’s been sleeping in her vault. She’s barely eating.” She circled the counter and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I need your help with this. I can’t be there for her right now, not with everything going on.”

The young boy eyed her suspiciously for a moment until he saw the sincerity in her green orbs. “You care about my mom, don’t you?” Emma cocked her head to the side a bit and nodded “Of course I do. She’s your other mother.” Brown eyes narrowed into a reproachful look “You know that’s not what I mean, Ma. You  _ like _ her. Like Gram and Gramps like each other.” The blonde wrinkled her nose at being compared to her overly affectionate and hopeful parents. “I don’t know that I would go that far, but yes. I care for your mother a great deal.” 

Henry smiled widely and launched himself into her arms,taking the woman by surprise before she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him, closing her eyes as she memorized the way he felt, the way his hair smelt. She wanted to remember all of it just in case Regina failed. Just in case…..

The sound of a phone ringing pierced the air and the boy pulled back, fishing into his pocket to retrieve his phone, tapping a button on the screen and answering. “Hi mom. Yeah, I’m okay. I left the house a little early.” He looked over at his blonde mother and noticed for the first time that he could actually see strands of vibrant, golden blonde interspersed with the white locks she had taken to wearing. “Yeah, I’ll be home right after school. I promise. Love you too.” He hung up the phone and peered at the woman in front of him with a bit more concentration. 

“Did you dye some of your hair?” The question seemed to puzzle the woman as she brought her hand up to touch the tightly bound hair. “No. It’s been white since I became like this.” He shook his head adamantly. “Not the white. I know about that, Ma. I mean the blonde. I can see a bunch of blonde in your hair again, like it used to be.” Emma’s mouth made a small ‘o’ shape and she nodded slowly “Yes, well….It’s been changing back gradually when…..certain events occur. I don’t know if it’s a permanent change yet, so don’t get your hopes up.” 

Green eyes watched as her adolescent son practically vibrated with excitement “It’s my mom, isn’t it? She did something. She’s going to save you! I knew she was a good guy now, I knew it!” He hugged the stunned woman fiercely before grabbing his bag and yelling over his shoulder as he hurried to the door. “I’ll take care of her, Ma! I’ll take care of everything!” The sound of the door slamming shut told the blonde that her son had run off, most likely to school, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again. 

**A/N: Aww! Isn't that cute? Emma's got more than one person in the Mills house rooting for her. We're going to get in depth with some of Emma's more complex emotions in coming chapters. Sound off to let me know you're still with me!**   
  
  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Alright, loves. We will see some Captain Swan in this chapter though, like the Outlaw Queen chapter, it isn't pretty. Again, no disrespect to the Captain Swan fandom.**

Emma paced the floors of her home, all 2,076 feet of them from top to bottom. She had been pacing a lot recently, though she mainly attributed this to her lack of need to sleep and the limited time she was able to leave the building. The blonde paused as she circled back to her original thought.  _ Home. _ Was that what she would consider this place? There were no photographs of her life in StoryBrooke. It was sparsely, though tastefully, furnished. There were never dishes in the sink as she tended to wash and reuse the same dish and cup seeing as she was the only who was ever present during mealtimes. 

She combed slender fingers through her hair, noting that there was a fresh cropping of blonde hair at the base of her skull, the texture silkier and more curly than that of her milky tresses. She made note to let Regina know should she see the woman later in her day.

The former sheriff had been thinking about many topics as of late: her role in Henry’s stories, her parentage, her life before Henry…..before Regina. 

The thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door, much too powerful to be her son’s. She frowned and schooled her features into one of disdain as she strode towards the front door, the feigned disapproval morphing into the genuine artifact upon finding the pirate on her doorstep. 

“Hook.” The name was said blandly, as if it left a foul taste in her mouth and she tilted her head at him lightly. “Why are you here? I don’t recall inviting you…..ever.” 

As per usual, the one handed man seemed oblivious to the obvious implication that he should leave, instead opting to move into the blonde’s personal space and wrap his arms around her. She felt her body stiffen at the contact, so different from that of her son or even the Mayor. She disentangled herself and stepped back pointedly, putting space between them and resting her hand on the door in preparation. 

“Is there something I can help you with,  _ Captain _ ?” her eyes tracked his movements as he grinned lazily at her and stepped forward. 

“Captain? You’re starting to sound like Regina.” The way the man said the Queen’s name had Emma baring her teeth unconsciously, an act that, once again, went unnoticed. He grinned at her further “Aren’t you going to let me in, love? I’ve been looking for you. This is the first time I’ve seen you since you did…..that.” 

Green eyes peered back at him and the blonde had the disturbing thought of how easy it might be to snap his neck. She gave a little shake of her head to force the thought away before stepping to block the doorway. 

“I hadn’t intended on it. I don’t have time for….whatever this is.” This time the pirate seemed to catch onto the distaste with which the words were spoken. As if he were the problem, the intruder. His smile dropped and his brows furrowed angrily. 

“Why the hell not? I’ve been spending weeks looking for you, fighting for you! They let Regina, of all people, take your dagger! I would think you would want to rectify that!” He waved his hand furiously, his rings glinting in the light and Emma startled for a moment, pushing back the memory for the time being. 

“I am well aware of who possesses my dagger, pirate. I intentionally left it in the Queen’s hands because she is the only one of you I trust not to misuse it. She is the only one who will not be tempted by it.” Her eyes flicked over him, the look of disgust open and apparent now. “The only one who wouldn’t think to try and cage me, control me, like the rest of you. You and my….. _ perfect _ parents.” She stepped into his personal space, causing the man to stumble back in surprise at the power radiating off of the once good natured woman. She raised her hand to silence him when he opened his mouth to protest, a smile curling on her lips as he grasped at his throat, his voice rendered useless. 

“I quite like you this way. Obedient, for once. Do you think me a fool? That I don’t know  _ exactly _ what _ you’ve _ been doing the last 6 weeks? Hm?” She ran a nail down the side of his face slowly before grabbing him by the throat and pulling him so he was millimeters from her face, his eyes bulging in fear and surprise, looking very much like he may soil himself at any moment. Oh, Emma hoped so. “You think I haven’t watched you sucking down cheap rum at the Rabbit Hole? That I haven’t seen you propositioning any unfortunate woman who happens to be just drunk enough? Yes, a lot of help you’ve been to me.” She spat at him, nails biting into the flesh of his cheeks.

“At one time, I probably would have smiled and felt obligated to let you in. Make you a drink, a sandwich. Pretend that I was the least bit flattered when your one good hand would wander.” She cocked her head at him as he gaped at her like a fish, opening and closing his mouth. “At one time.” She repeated softly, pushing him away from her and watching him land in a sprawling heap at the bottom of her porch steps. She waved her hand over her shoulder as she retreated into the house, locking the door behind her. 

Once the Dark One was alone she rolled her head towards her staircase, a brow raising at the figure perched there. “I’ve really grown tired of you. I told you, I don’t kill people,  _ Rumple _ .” She said the name as though to mock the man, more precisely the illusion of a man. He had become a considerable annoyance since her change. 

“Oh yes, yes, dearie. So you say. Always so noble, for now.” His eyes crinkled and he leered at her, a set of grotesque, rotting teeth on display reminding the blonde how thankful she was to have grown up in a world with dental care. “Now, are you certain you don’t want to just……” He gave a flourish of his hands “pop in and pick up the dagger. It’s quite easy pickings right now.”

“Regina can handle it. I told Hook, I trust her. If anyone can break this curse, it’s the one who enacted yours.” She raised a hand to rub her temple for a moment, muttering “She has to….”

She shook her head slightly and turned her back on the apparition, making her way into the living room. Emma lowered herself onto a lounger near the window, peering out at the street beyond. “I have to believe that. I have to believe she can save me.” 

“Always the hopeful one. So, so hopeful.” The imp chimed from his place perched on her table “What makes you think the  _ Evil Queen _ will help you? You really think she can hold onto that dagger for much longer before she starts giving into her darkness again?” He cackles wickedly and claps his hands at the thought. “Oh, how delicious! An Evil Queen and a Dark Savior, what a twist!”

Emma waved her hand in annoyance, temporarily banishing the voice from her mind. Part of her knew he was correct; there was always the chance that the darkness would prove to be too much for Regina, but she had to have hope. If only for this one point in her life, she had to have hope that someone would come for her, would save her. 

A dark inkling crept to the front of her mind, whispering vicious things to her, things she had tried not to think about. 

_ ‘Save you? She’s the one who damned you!’ _

_ ‘She’s the reason. She’s the reason.’ _

_ ‘You had no family because of her!’ _

_ ‘She stole your life…..she stole everything from you.’ _

_ ‘Beaten. Abused. Raped. Forgotten. Neglected. Abandoned.’ _

_ ‘All her fault. Her fault!’ _

Emma gritted her teeth as she listened to the voices, the taunting and goading of who was to blame for the way her life turned out.  _ Who was to blame? _ She shook her head, letting out a growl of frustration. 

_ Who was to blame? Regina? Snow and Charming? Rumple?  _

The question rolled around in her head as she played the scenarios over and over. The reasons she had been given as to why things had happened, why she had been sent away. The blonde’s agitation and frustration at the current circumstances got the best of her for a moment, just a moment. She slammed her fists down against the window sill, the sound of glass shattering throughout the neighborhood reaching her ears. 

She rolled her shoulders slowly, composing herself before she rose from the couch with the grace of a panther, waving her hand to repair the damage before disappearing in a cloud of grayish smoke. 

She had someone she needed to pay a visit to.

**A/N: There we are, chapter 10! I will be uploading a new chapter sometime soon, I believe. Comment and let me know your thoughts!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Chapter 11 has arrived! Now, fair warning, this chapter will have a much darker tone than previous chapters. There will be graphic depictions of violence, torture and physical assault.**

Anger wasn’t the right word to describe how Emma Swan felt as she looked up at the pristine white mansion. The house she knew currently held the former Evil Queen warm and snug within its walls. No, anger wasn’t the right word. That was far too simple, in her opinion. The blonde had silenced the voices in her head somewhere between destroying an astonishing number of windows and appearing on the deceptively quiet stretch of Mifflin Street. The feelings that they had stirred within her continued to rage, however. 

The blonde tilted her head as she watched the house for a few moments more before she flicked her wrist and took her leave. Regina was not her target right now. The smoke cleared and shocked screams surrounded the woman as she cracked her neck slowly. The nuns, fairies to be more precise, scattered backwards away from the imposing figure of the Dark One. Green eyes scanned over the clusters of trembling insects before she located the one she sought. 

“Mother Superior. Or should I call you Blue now?” The usually put together leader of the fairies visibly recoiled at the sound of her name falling from the blood red lips. The sharp staccato of heels on tile echoed around them as the former Savior approached her prey, invading her personal space with little more than a second thought. 

“Emma, this isn’t you. We can help you.” A bark of laughter startled the smaller woman as the blonde leaned closer, baring her teeth in a very Regina-like fashion. 

“Help me? You want to help me?” Emma drawled the words slowly as if speaking to someone with poor comprehension. “Do you realize how ironic that is, Blue? Now, more than 30 years later, you want to  _ help _ me?” The drawl turned to a hiss as anger boiled beneath the surface. “Let’s play a little game, shall we?” She released a bolt of magic, sending the auburn haired woman careening back, slamming her against the stone wall of the building. The tapestries reached out at once, grasping the woman’s hands and ankles tightly before flipping her so her face was pressed to the cold stone, exposing her back to the approaching blonde. 

Icy fingers pressed into the small of the woman’s back, moving their way up to the very collar of her dress. The sound of the fabric ripping was only rivaled by the horrified gasps of the onlooking fairies, though they all remained huddled together. 

“Now then,Blue. I’m going to ask you a question. If you fail to provide me an adequate answer, I will remove one of your wings. Fail twice and I will remove them both.” She paused, her lips brushing the smaller woman’s ear, the shiver of fear that wracked the bound frame of her captive at her words made the Dark One smile. “Do not deign to imagine I will be so generous should you disappoint me a third time.”

The threat was punctuated by the taller woman very slowly running her fingers along the pale blue wings on display for her, moving from the very base of the wings all the way to the tips.

“Now then….” She moved to stand beside the woman, grasping the rounded face and forcing wide brown eyes to meet her own steely green. “Why did you lie about the wardrobe?” The words were spoken slowly to ensure there was no misconstruing what was being asked. 

Emma tilted her head a bit, waiting ever so patiently for the gawking fairy to form a coherent sentence. Conflict raged silently within the small frame of the woman before she gave a shake of her head. “I didn’t lie. The wardrobe could only take one.” The blonde could tell it was taking all of the proud woman’s effort not to let her lip quiver. 

“Oh, so unwise.” The words were laced with venom and disappointment as a pale hand moved to grasp the base of the fairy’s left wing, baring her teeth as she felt the muscle snap beneath her grip. A sickening ripping noise filled the room accompanied by the screams of several onlookers, the small body jerking in pain at the brutal action. Emma flicked her hand, discarding the tattered remains of the translucent wing. 

She moved with sure, calculated steps until she stood on the opposite side of the trembling woman, green eyes moving over the stark contrast of red smeared across the skin surrounding the gaping wound before focusing her attention on her captive. 

“Let’s try again, shall we? Why did you lie to my parents about the wardrobe?” 

The auburn haired woman gritted her teeth, trying to force back the tears already rolling over the swell of her cheeks. The damage was irreparable, a fairy’s wings could not be healed once broken. Her head began shaking back and forth, silently denying to provide her tormentor with the satisfaction of an answer. 

A scream was ripped from her throat as she felt fingers gouge into the open wound maring her back, twisting against the split muscles, her back arching in a futile attempt for reprieve. 

“Weak, little pathetic insect.” The words were snarled in her ear and it shook the once proud fairy to admit to herself that Emma Swan had done the one thing the Evil Queen never could: She frightened her. 

The steady drip of blood onto the polished floor was the only sound to be heard some time later. Mother Superior hung  limply, held up only by the tapestries still binding her wrists. Her chest rising and falling shallowly, eyes glazed and unfocused as she stared down at the mangled remains of her wings. The Dark One had kept to her word to be less than kind should she not receive the desired answers, the smaller woman’s body smattered with the evidence should anyone think to deny it. 

The blonde watched from her place on a nearby table, drumming her fingers against her cheek slowly. The bug had finally cracked beneath her hand, as she knew she would, and had sobbed brokenly of the ultimatum given by Gepetto the night he was to carve the vessel to this realm: his son went or no one did. 

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Across the quiet town of StoryBrooke, Regina was seated at her desk in the study of her home. Glasses perched on her nose and a mug of cooling coffee off to one side as she poured over the newest text that Belle had brought to her that morning. The petite brunette had seemed so sure the book would offer some sort of answers regarding Emma’s current state. The aforementioned blonde had not been seen since the older woman’s last encounter with her in her kitchen. She was reticent to say that she missed her company, but it certainly wouldn’t have been unwelcome. 

A cold chill skittered up the Mayor’s spine and with a wave of her hand,she disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, appearing before her father’s mausoleum. She glances around before slipping inside and closing the door securely behind her. Something was amiss, she could feel it. The darkness was almost palpable enough to be tasted. She shivered once more before moving aside the coffin and descending into her vault, away from any prying ears. 

Though she had spent much of her life living up to the moniker the people of her kingdom had forced upon her, the former Evil Queen found herself shrinking back a bit from the darkness emanating from the dagger, strongly enough to be felt across the room. She approached slowly, trying to figure out what had caused such a change, the metal scalding her hand when she attempted to lift it. Grimacing, she cradling the hand to her chest and eyed the dagger carefully. 

The brunette knew enough about magic to know that it was tied into emotion. Whatever it was that Emma was feeling in that moment was being channeled through her dagger. Jaw clenched and body braced, Regina snatched the blade from its resting place, crying out at the feel of the metal scorching her palm,unable to be released.

Brown eyes widened in horror as images played across her mind. Horrible, twisted images of the Savior and the Blue Fairy. Blood, carnage, torment. The emotions from both parties collided against the older woman causing her knees to buckle. Eyes flicked frantically back and forth as the scene played out before her, her stomach twisting tightly at the acts she witnessed unfold. 

It wasn’t until the sound of the last sob died away that the blade clattered to the floor, the Queen following within seconds. The pain in her hand was little compared to the horror she had just witnessed. She had done horrible things, terrible things, but even still she felt her stomach revolt. The sound of her retching echoed against the stone walls, her breathing ragged. 

Regina’s body felt like lead as she pushed herself back onto her knees, maneuvering herself backwards until her back hit a wall, allowing herself to slump against it. A manicured hand came up to wipe the mess from her lips, her eyes straying to the sliver of metal lying discarded on the floor. The Queen was certain her heart was breaking at the thought of what she had witnessed, her voice little more than a hushed whisper. 

“Oh, Emma…...what did you do?”

**A/N: There we are.....our first dark act from our Dark Swan. Please sound off in the comments, let me know your thoughts.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I have returned, my loves, and with a new chapter no less! This one will follow the after math of the incident with Blue.** I **want to thank all of my betas, I tend to have 2 or 3 at the same time. They have been incredibly helpful with my creative process as of lately. They allow me to get to the best possible story ideas while providing wonderful plot ideas.**

**Trigger Warning: Mentions of physical abuse and implied sexual assault.**

_“Oh Emma…..What did you do?”_

Regina pulled herself to her feet, using the wall to steady herself once she was upright. Despite the horror she had just witnessed while clutching Emma’s dagger, she didn’t have the luxury of sitting around and being shocked. She had to find her. More importantly than that, she needed to find out why she had gone after the fairy. The blonde was usually so even tempered-sometimes-excluding several incidents involving Regina herself where they had pushed one another too far.

The brunette grimaced as she glanced at the mess from her bout of nausea, waving her hand to remove any evidence of the incident before gathering her coat and car keys. She contemplated bringing the dagger in case Emma wasn’t receptive to talking, but she shook her head. No, she would not force the younger woman to do something she didn’t want to. They both knew too well how that felt.

She hurried out to her car and had the mind to send a quick text to Mary Margaret, letting her know to keep Henry away from town for the time being. The trip across town was short despite how painstakingly long it seemed to take. Once parked, the Queen leapt from her car and hurried into the tall stone building that housed the fairies. She knew Emma wasn’t there, she would have no reason to be, but the older woman couldn’t continue her search until she confirmed that the Blue Fairy was, in fact, still alive.

Following the winding hallways, Regina eventually found the doors to the gathering room wide open. She wouldn’t necessarily call it a church,though the fairies had been cursed as nuns previously. Now it had been redone to display more of the history from the old world, tapestries hung on the walls displaying prophecies and various magic runes and symbols could be seen on some of the books and artwork

This was the room Regina had seen in the vision. The room where Emma had taken a step further into the darkness. Heels clicked as she crossed the wood floors to examine the drying blood splattered across the floor in one particular area, noting the tapestries on either side had been cut to release their hostage. She leaned down to touch a few flakes of a shimmering blue substance, feeling her stomach churn as she realized that they were pieces from the fairy’s wings; the wings which had been ripped from her body by the former Savior.

The images the dagger had shown her flashed through her mind and a shiver crept up her spine. She shook herself slightly before following the trail of blood droplets out through a side door,by the time the trail ran out, she was able to follow the voices that floated further down the hallway.  One of the fairies, Nova she believed, hurried to meet her once she had been spotted. “Madam Mayor, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here for Blue. Where is she, dear?” She held up her hand to stop the wide eyed girl from trying to come up with a lie. “I know what happened…..with Emma. Please, take me to her. “ The softness and concern in the former Queen’s voice had the young fairy nodding, leading Regina past the others and into a room where their leader lay on her side, her eyes glassy and unfocused. “She’s been like this since we brought her from the gathering room. She won’t speak to anyone.”

“Thank you, dear. Please close the door, won’t you. I would like to speak with her alone.” Regina smiled sadly and watched the girl comply with her request. She made her way to the chair in front of Blue, sitting down and reaching out to touch the woman’s hand. The instinctual jerk at the movement did not deter the brunette, she understood trauma all too well. “Blue, it’s Regina. Can you hear me?” A slow blink was the only answer she received but it was enough of an answer. “I know what’s happened. I know what she did and I’m so sorry. I will find her, but I wanted to see you first.” She kept her voice soft and calm, knowing that too much volume or a certain tone could set the woman off in her fragile state.

“I know that you and I haven’t exactly had the best relationship, here or in the Enchanted Forest. We ended up on the opposite side of a very long war, a fruitless war.” She sighed softly “I did many things, most much worse than this, but this….was personal for her. This was too close to the heart for even myself.” She took a deep breath and centered herself before speaking again. “I want to help, Blue. I know I can’t fully repair what’s been done, but let me do this for you.” She rose from her seat and moved around to the opposite side of the bed, her stomach churning at the jagged, gaping wounds that became visible as she moved the sheet away.

She steeled her resolve and lifted her hands, pausing when the fairy began to thrash, her eyes wild and panicked at not being able to see what was happening. Regina moved quickly back to the other side, resting a soothing hand on the older woman’s arm. “It’s alright, dear. It’s just me.” She stroked the forearm gently until the petite woman had stilled once more. This time Regina remained within eyesight, her hands glowing a dark purple as she summoned her magic. Blue jerked only slightly when it touched her before her eyes fluttered shut, the magic spreading into the wounds and beginning to heal them from within.

The former Queen was sure to keep her flow of magic slow and steady so as not to overwhelm the petite fairy. The magic moved through her, healing the internal damage before pulling out slowly, stitching the wounds closed, slowly. She lowered her hands once the skin was unblemished once more, letting the magic fade and she smiled a bit when the woman began to move. She stirred, the muscles in her back flexing slowly, hesitantly. When no pain came she reached a hand back and touched the smooth skin, confirming the ugly reminders of the day were gone, physically at least.

Regina reached out and helped the smaller brunette to sit up, their eyes meeting in silent understanding. “Thank you, Regina.” Her voice was quiet and hoarse, likely from screaming if Regina had to guess. “I have doubted you in the past. Doubted your ability to change, but you have. You’re not the woman who was named as evil so many years ago.” Small hands curled and uncurled subconsciously. “I had no right, there or here, to look down on you for your decisions. I have done things, as I’m sure you know, which ultimately led E…..her here. “ She couldn’t say her name. Not yet.

“Let’s leave the past where it belongs, dear. Behind us.” She smiled and patted the woman’s hand before standing. “I apologize for making my visit so brief but I need to go find Emma.” She tilted her head a bit, “Blue, do you know where she might have gone?” The fairy hesitated before nodding, “She would have gone to find Gepetto. I told her how he would only carve the wardrobe if Pinocchio went with Emma. Snow never knew the wardrobe could take two….” The guilt in her eyes was palpable though whether it was from genuine remorse or her brutal encounter was debatable. “I see. Thank you, Blue.”

She patted her shoulder before the Queen took her leave, striding quickly out to her car and making her way towards the center of town, hoping she could reach Marco’s workshop before too much damage was done.

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Marco, Gepetto to those who had known him prior to the Dark Curse which brought them to this land, had known fear a handful of times in his life. Most that he could recall involved run-ins with the Evil Queen during the time leading up to the Curse. The other few that came to mind involved either magic, Rumplestiltskin or both.

The elderly man looked up when he heard the slow click of heels in the front of his shop. He rose from his bench and made his way to greet the customer, gasping upon coming face to face with the Dark One. Piercing green eyes rooted him to the spot and he felt the familiar chill of fear creeping up his spine.

“E-Emma, what are you doing here? Your parents, they are worried sick.” His accent carried over in his words, the concern in his eyes would have warmed anyone else. It used to warm Emma, before she knew the truth.

“My parents can wait. I waited 28 years.” She spoke in the low monotone she had adopted since taking in the darkness. “I paid Blue a visit, Gepetto.” The blonde observed the man tremble at his old world name, no doubt for fear of where this conversation was heading. “You see, I had some questions that I needed answered. Unfortunately for Blue, she wasn’t particularly forthcoming with the information that I needed.” She took a few steps closer to him, running her nails along his shoulder as she circled him, breath hot against his ear. “I can be very persuasive when I want something. You understand, I’m sure. You were so persuasive all those years ago, weren’t you?”

Gepetto shook his head for a moment, praying that the Savior was not referring to what he feared. “I do not know what you mean. Please, I will call your parents. Or Regina? I can call the Mayor.” He looked at her pleadingly.

The younger woman circled around to face him again, leaning down slightly to meet his eyes. “I would strongly advise giving me the answers I want. I really am quite tired from dealing with the pesky little insect.” Her voice betrayed that she was not, in fact, tired and that she would happily force answers from him. “Now, what reason could you have for lying to my parents about the wardrobe that brought me to this world?”

Conflict raged within the man’s head as he weighed his options in this particular situation. In the end his conscience got the best of him. “I found out the tree could take two, not one. I wanted to protect my boy. My Pinocchio. I could not bear to have him torn from me.” He wrung his hands together, removing his cap from his head to twist the material. “My boy, he is everything to me, but that was not the only reason. I know your mother, Emma. She would not have waited the 28 years to come find your father.”

He paused for a moment, unsure if he should continue, he had her attention of that he was certain. She motioned for him to continue. “If your mother had gone through to this world with you, she would have come too soon. So, I sent my Pinocchio to watch over you and guide you until the time was right.”

The elderly man startled a bit when the woman let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Watch over me? Guide me?” Her lips curled into a sneer as she leaned into his personal space once more. “Before your son arrived in this town, I had never met him before in my life. He did nothing for me. He did nothing to protect me. If you sent him for me, he failed!”

She turned, stalking across the shop in her agitation. “No, there was never anyone there to protect me. Do you think he could have, though?” The blonde faced him once more, the question was clearly rhetorical so she continued on. “Do you think your _little Pinocchio_ could have protected me from the beatings? The cigarette burns? Hm?”

Gepetto gasped in shock when Emma appeared before him, her hand closing around his throat as she tilted his face up to meet hers. “Do you think for one tiny second, in that feeble mind of yours,that your insolent little _brat_ could have lifted a single finger to help me when my foster father came to my room at night? Do you think he could have stopped him?” Her eyes blazed with unbridled anger at the pitiful excuses the man had offered her. The tears shining in his wide brown eyes told her that he knew nothing of his son’s betrayal or the hardships she had endured.

With a scoff, she pushed the man away from her, hardly caring as he stumbled back into one of the shelves. “I have what I need. Oh and as for your son, your little Pinocchio?” She looked over her shoulder at him, quirking her lips into a twisted smile. “You can find him in Gold’s shop beside your parents.” A wave of a well manicured hand and the woman vanished in a swirl of grey smoke.

The man stumbled across his shop, pushing open the door before he rushed towards the antiquities dealer further down Main Street. There was no way the Dark One had harmed his son, right? His boy was innocent, he didn’t know better. Gepetto pushed open the door to the shop with such force that the little bell nearly snapped off. Brown eyes scanned the shelves of the shop before stopping on the three wooden puppets on a nearby table.

“No. No, my boy! Not my boy!” He grasped the cool wood in his hands, clutching it to his chest as he staggered from the shop. losing his footing and letting out a broken sob as he landed roughly on the pavement. He held the figure of his son to his chest, crying out the anguish he felt at losing his boy this way.

This was how Regina found him minutes later, broken and inconsolable as he told her of Emma’s visit. Told her of the things she had said and how she had claimed his son left her to fend for herself.

He lifted his head to look at the once feared Queen, his eyes shimmering with tears. His voice raw and angry, but mostly it betrayed his heartbreak.

“She is not my Savior. She is a monster.”

**A/N: It looks like our Swan is moving further into the Darkness. Regina is running out of time. Can she save Emma?**


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So, this chapter will be a bit heavy in terms of dialogue and content. It won't be as long as usual, I don't think. There will be an intense scene with Snow and some emotional Regina and Gepetto.

As always, I want to thank my Betas for helping me out and giving me their input. Enjoy!

"She is not my Savior. She is a monster."

Regina could hardly deny being both startled and angered by the words that Gepetto seemed to spit out like a foul taste in his mouth. The pain and anger were tangible around the man as he sat clutching the wooden figure of his son.

"She's not a monster, Marco. You know that as well as I do. She's angry and she's hurt. She's doing everything that the Darkness is telling her to do." She knelt down in front of him, touching his shoulder. "She hasn't killed anyone, Marco. Not like I did, nothing like the things I did. I killed for power and fear and control. She just wants to know why she ended up here."

The elderly woodworker looked up at the woman before him, the woman made evil by so many unfortunate circumstances in her life. That was not the woman he saw now, no, not anymore. She was a mother, a town leader, and a very different woman than she had been so long ago when she too had been called a monster.

"My boy….." He croaked weakly, looking down at the puppet. "She took my boy from me…." Brown eyes looked upon the former Queen sadly, silently asking what he was supposed to with his life without his son.

Regina kept her voice soft, though she was running out of patience. "Marco, I give you my word, once I find Emma and stop all of this, I will do everything I can for your son, okay? I'll get Emma to tell me how she turned him back to a puppet and I'll reverse it." She squeezed his hand and he nodded shakily, tears dripping along the age lines of his face.

"She went to her parents…...That is where you must go. Hurry!" He pointed in the direction of David and Mary Margaret's loft before he slowly pulled himself to his feet. His grip on the puppet remained firm as Regina watched him make his way back up Main Street, his frame trembling and shaking every few steps.

The brunette sighed and turned away, refusing to admit to herself that it hurt to see the kind man so vulnerable. She made quick strides in the opposite direction, curing her heels as she ascended the stairs. Henry was in there. She had left him in Snow's care while she tracked down Emma because she never imagined that Emma would turn on her parents.

30 Minutes Earlier…..

The scream of fright that Snow White released at the sudden appearance of her daughter would have been comical to the blonde, so much so she likely would have been on the floor in tears. Now though, now Emma could see the fear in the wide brown eyes.

She should be scared. She deserves to know what real fear feels like. Whispered the voice within the blonde's head. She gave a slight twitch to shake away the thoughts before focusing on her mother again. Her voice dripping with malice as she spoke:

"Hello, Mommy. Did you miss me?"

The pixie haired woman backed away until her back hit the counter,eliciting a gasp from her. "Emma….Wha-What are you doing here?" Green eyes followed brown to look at the stairway leading to the loft.

"Are you looking for my son? I assure you, Henry is completely unaware of us. He's frozen in time. Temporarily, of course. I'd hate for him to be without his mother for too long, wouldn't you?" White teeth flashed in a sinister smile. Sinister, that was a word Snow never thought she would associate with her little girl.

"Emma, please, we can talk about this. Tell me it isn't true, what you did to Blue? She's been nothing but good to our family." Snow pleaded softly, the unhinged look in her daughter's eyes was setting her on edge and she knew this would be far from a pleasant meeting. A sharp bark of laughter made the smaller woman jump once more, the sound bitter and harsh in the air around her.

"Good to me? Good to our family? How pathetic that you actually still believe that. Haven't you ever wondered why it is that August turned up in this town after I did? Did it not strike you odd that the little boy Gepetto had back then was no longer a little boy?" She waved her hand angrily, a few glasses shattering on the countertop. "No one else in this town aged, why would he be any different?"

Brown eyes openly displayed the confusion and denial waging war within the woman's mind, she shook her head slowly. "I don't know what you're accusing them of, Emma, but I will not stand for it."

"Stand for it? You won't stand for it?" The pitch of the blonde's voice rose dangerously "You won't stand to believe that a crooked fairy and a selfish puppet maker robbed you of the chance to be with your daughter in this world? Blue knew the wardrobe took two people. She knew and Gepetto forced her to agree to sending his boy in your place. His little brat was supposed to be my protector, can you believe that?"

The silence between the two women was uncomfortably pregnant as Snow struggled to digest the knowledge her daughter had,effectively, just shoved down her throat. She couldn't deny that she had never wondered what happened to Pinocchio or thought twice about an adult August appearing in town. How had she been so stupid? Was it really right in front of her this entire time?

Green eyes watched her pace the kitchen, her petite frame trembling slightly. Yes, this was the very definition of mental torture. She watched her mother try to piece together any possible argument against the cold, hard facts she was being given. Her voice bored with a tinge of smugness as she spoke:

"Not so much fun being on the receiving end of news that shatters your entire life, is it? Imagine growing up believing you were unwanted, unloved, broken." The pixie haired woman flinched with each word, her daughter closing the space between them. "The tragic part of this is that all these years I was led to believe I had a purpose, a destiny. That I was some great hero because I was born of True Love. Love true enough that my own parents couldn't allow me to make my own decisions. They chose instead to strip every choice from me in order to cram me into the mold they saw fit! To strip me of my free will was the only way I would ever be an acceptable daughter!" Her voice rose in anger, her hands balling in the fabric of her mother's dress as she snarled down at her.

Tears welled up in wide brown eyes, a few slipping free to trickle down round cheeks. "That's not true, Emma. We love you, no matter what. We just wanted what was best for you." Snow lifted a hand to touch her daughter's face only to have to sharply deflected.

"You don't, though. You love me so long as I'm a hero. So long as I'm the great Savior I was predicted to be." Emma released the front of her mother's dress, stepping back from her, "You don't love the scars from the years of abuse. You don't love the darkness that was already in me. You chose to ignore it, to ignore me. You don't know anything about who I am because you chose to let me grow up alone and unwanted." She shook her head, ignoring her mother's gasp as some of the visible blonde strands began to turn white once more, turning away from the smaller woman. Her parting words bringing the famed princess to her knees:

"I would have rather lived my entire life without ever knowing you. At least then I could pretend I was truly loved."

Snow White remained on the floor long after the smoke had cleared and the sound of video games resumed from the loft above.

A/N: So, there we have it. Let me know what you think of our Dark Swan's assessment of her own situation. Where do you think the blame truly lies?


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay, my loves! Thank you for hanging in for me, I know this update it late. On the bright side it is extra long and full of so many emotional turns!**

**Please please please sound off in the comments/reviews to let me know your thoughts!**

Meanwhile, during the events of the previous chapter…..

Hook downed the remainder of his rum, setting the glass down firmly on the counter and waving for his third refill. Or was it his fifth? The pirate shrugged and pounded his fist on the bar top.

“Oi, another rum. Be quick about it, aye?”

 He ran his hand over his face tiredly, scowling at the empty glass as he once again replayed his conversation with Emma. Her words stung him like the sharp chill of the sea:

 

_“I am well aware of who possesses my dagger, pirate. I intentionally left it in the Queen’s hands because she is the only one of you I trust not to misuse it. She is the only one who will not be tempted by it.”_

 

He didn’t understand. He would never understand how anyone, let alone his Emma, could want to be so close to the wretched bitch of a queen. It was the dagger. It had to be. There was no other reasonable explanation as to why the Savior would allow herself to be in this current predicament. 

He nodded to the bartender as he set down another glass, downing it swiftly and slamming the glass on the bartop again. He rummaged about for some bills, tossing them onto the sticky surface before getting up and striding towards the door.

It was time that the Queen was separated from the dagger, by force if necessary.

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Regina knocked on the door to the Charming’s loft, frowning when she didn’t receive an answer. She lifted her hand and knocked harder, the sound echoing a bit in the apartment. Worry was just starting to set in when the door swings open to reveal a concerned looking Henry.

 The young boy’s eyes light up upon seeing his brunette mother, hurling himself into her arms in search of the warmth and comfort he associates with home. “Mom, where have you been? Where’s Ma?”

She held him close for a moment, her heart clenching at how tall he had gotten. He was certainly not a little boy anymore. She buried her nose against the crown of his head, smiling at finding he still smelled the way he did when he was little. Clean and warm and a little like honey. 

“That’s why I’m here. Where’s Snow?” Regina stepped around him into the small living space, scanning the area for the pixie haired woman in question. She spotted a lump beneath the blankets of the bed on the far end of the room, her view partially obscured by the hanging curtain used as a room divider. The brunette turned to look at her son with a frown. “Henry, how long has she been in there?” The lanky teen shrugged “Not sure, I was upstairs playing games. I didn’t hear anything until you knocked on the door.”

She nodded a little, ushering him back upstairs before making her way into the, in Snow’s opinion, quaint bedroom and stopping beside the lump on the bed. “Snow, we need to talk about Emma. Has she been to see you?”

Several seconds pass by, slipping into minutes before the Queen begins to tap her foot impatiently. A perfectly manicured hand wraps around the edge of the quilt and tosses it back, revealing the trembling form of her former step-daughter, eyes stained red from crying. 

The raven haired princess lifted her head to meet confused brown eyes before collapsing in sobs against the sticky bed sheets again. The agony and regret that echoed off the walls said far more than words ever could have about what had transpired between the woman and her daughter. 

Regina sighed softly and sunk onto the bed beside the shaking woman, she rested a hand on her back and began rubbing it in slow circles the way she used to do for Henry when he was sick or upset as a little boy. “It’s okay, Snow. Deep breaths. We all knew that this wasn’t going to be easy and it certainly wasn’t going to be pretty.” She watched as the small shoulders began to stop shaking so violently, turning instead to soft trembles and hiccups. 

“She wished she never knew I was her mother….” The words were so soft, barely above a whisper, but they struck Regina like a truck into a brick wall. Emma resented her mother? She had expected the blonde to be angry and to lash out, but she hadn’t expected such harsh words to be thrown around. 

The Mayor took a few moments to compose her thoughts before speaking, her hand resuming its circular motion against the smaller woman’s back. She kept her voice low and gentle, partially out of sympathy and partial out of exhaustion. 

“I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, Snow, but can you really blame her? Can any of us hold her responsible for the things she’s doing or the things she will do? She has far more reasons to hold a grudge against this world than a broken heart.” She grimaced at the thought of what the former Savior could have planned. There was really no one else on the list, was there? 

No one but her, that is. Regina wasn’t foolish enough to think she would be escaping the wrath of the Dark One, not this time. She had as much of a hand in Emma’s life taking the turn that it did as anyone else in their story. 

This was one time, though, that the Queen knew she would gladly accept that darkness if it meant making things right again. 

For now, in this moment, she needed to focus on actually locating the blonde woman before any further damage was done. The risk was too high that the former Savior would cross a line that she couldn’t come back from, commit an act that she couldn’t undo.

 “Snow, I need to go. I need to find Emma before she goes after anyone else,” Regina waited a few moments and when no response came she looked down at the younger woman, finding her curled up in the fetal position, her slow breathing informing the Queen that exhaustion had finally claimed her former nemesis. 

 She rose from the bed slowly and pulled the covers back over Snow, tucking her in gently before making her way back out to the living area and up the stairs to the loft to speak with her son.

 “Henry, I need you to stay here and look after your grandmother, okay? Emma came to see her and she’s pretty upset.” The brunette took a seat beside her son on the small bed and stroked a hand through his messy hair, making a mental note to cut his hair once this was all over.

 The teenager frowned at being sidelined once again, protesting with as little whining as possible. “I want to go with you. I want to help find Ma. I can talk to her. I want to help!” He stood up quickly, unwilling to be dissuaded by his mother’s gentle touch. “I want to help.” The words came out more firmly this time which earned the younger brunette a raised brow from the former Queen.

“I understand that, Henry, but it’s not safe. We don’t know what state of mind Emma is in right now. She’s...done some bad things the last few days. I don’t believe she would ever hurt you, but I also don’t want you to see her this way.” Regina pleaded, something the elegant woman rarely did, as she stood up and placed her hands on her son’s cheeks. “I need to find Emma and try to find a solution to this. I don’t want you in the middle of this, okay? I can’t find a solution if I have to worry about you getting hurt.” Brown eyes pleaded with the young boy to understand that this was not a punishment, it was a necessity. 

Henry frowned and shook his head, his mop of brown hair flopping over his eyes at the movement. He pushed it back with his hand and shook his head again. “No. I want to help. I’m not ten years old anymore, mom. I can be useful. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”

“Henry, it’s not that I don’t think you’re useful or grown up enough to help. You’re always going to be my baby boy, do you understand? As a mother, it’s hard for me to realize that you’re not little anymore.” Regina spoke softly, her hand reaching out to fix the mess of brown hair atop her son’s head. Her hand fell to his cheek and she smiled sadly. “I can’t risk losing you Henry. Thinking Emma might take you from me all those years ago was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever encounter. Far scarier than Rumple or my mother or the king. The thought of losing you is completely maddening.”

Brown eyes, so similar to her own, stared back at the older woman in contemplation. He knew she was right, he knew that she cared about his safety. He needed answers though, he needed to feel included in more ways than just babysitting his catatonic grandmother.

“Do you love her?”

Regina looked startled at the question, her eyes widening as she took half a step back.

“What? Who, Henry? You know Robin and I….”

“I don’t like you with Robin. I know he makes you happy or at least you pretend he does, but he’s not right for you. He’s not right for our family.” Henry looked up at his mother, noticing not for the first time the slight signs of stress and age on his mother’s appearance. These last weeks had completely upturned her life in every possible way. She hadn’t been sleeping, Henry knew of a handful of times his blonde mother had brought her home, and she hadn’t been eating, despite the countless times Ruby had made meals for her and taken them to the vault of her own volition. 

If Regina thought she was good at concealing her emotions, the ability failed her completely in that moment as the shock and disbelief were displayed clearly on her face. “You….don’t like Robin? Since when? I thought you two were getting along so well.” She chose, for the moment, to ignore the portion of her son’s statement regarding her happiness or lack thereof. 

“No, I said I didn’t like you with him. He’s an okay guy, he's just not the right person for you to be with.” He  shrugged his shoulders as if he just said he didn’t want pizza for dinner. “Like I said, you’re not happy anymore. You pretend to be. You smile in public and you hold hands and you act like people expect you to, but he doesn’t understand you.”

“He understands me, Henry. It takes time for people to know everything about one another.” The Queen tried to calm her son’s concerns, squeezing his hand gently, uncomfortable with the direction that the conversation seemed to be heading. 

“No, mom. He likes you and he understands some things, but he doesn’t know basic things about you. He doesn’t know your favorite ice cream, does he? Every time he buys ice cream he shows up with some gross basic flavor.” The challenge hung in the air, waiting for the woman to refute it. 

Regina opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking unsure and a bit uncomfortable at the blatant challenge her son had issued. “I….suppose there are some things that he doesn’t remember very well.” She sat down on the bed with Henry and looked at him, deciding to answer his earlier questions regarding his other mother. 

“I do care about Emma, quite a lot actually. I care about her more than I imagined I ever would upon first meeting her. I can’t say that I love her because that’s a very large admission to make. However, I do know that I would do anything to help protect her and make sure you grow up with her in your life.” 

She cleared her throat slowly “As for Robin….I can see where you wouldn’t feel like he fits well into our lives. I suppose I’ve felt the same way for a while, especially lately with everything that’s been going on.” 

Henry leaned over, resting his head on his mother’s shoulder, his arms slipping around her stomach. He knew this wasn’t easy for her. She had been promised a happy ending when pixie dust revealed Robin Hood to be her soulmate, but they just didn’t fit. It wasn’t right. 

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Hook looked around the deserted cemetery, eyes scanning slowly to ensure he wasn’t being followed just as he had been doing since leaving the bar. It hadn’t been hard to locate the mayor’s vault being as it was the largest building and was situated directly in the center of the cemetery. 

The pirate circled the mausoleum slowly, checking for any potential dangers or hidden traps before daring to try the door. A triumphant grin spread across his face as the handle twisted and the door swung inwards. 

“Oh, your majesty, you make this too easy. I knew Emma was a fool to trust you.” He stepped over the threshold and looked around the small area, brow furrowing when he saw only a large stone casket and walls with built in shelves housing candles, photographs and flowers, most of the candles had long blown out but a few remained flickering. 

“What the devil?” The scruffy man lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, trying to come up with a logical way to access the Queen’s vault. His eyes fell on the stone casket, engraved with the name of the town’s prodigal son, before falling lower to the faint scuff marks on the floor. 

“Ah, very clever, your majesty.” A firm push had the casket sliding aside to reveal the staircase down into the vault, the giddy man taking the steps two at a time. He paused at the last step, suspicious that it would be so simple to access what was supposed to be Regina’s private vault. He slowly removed a ring from one of his fingers and flicked it out into the open corridor, waiting with baited breath for an explosion or spell that never came. 

Satisfied with his investigations, Hook scooped the ring from the stone floor and replaced it on his rough, sea worn hand before continuing deeper into the vault. It was too easy, he thought to himself as he looked around the spacious area in search of a hiding place for the dagger. To say he was surprised to find the aforementioned blade resting on the table in plain sight was an understatement. 

“It looks like the Queen left me a little gift. Much appreciated.” The pirate grinned, plucking the dagger from its resting place and turning it over in his hands.

“Don’t worry, Swan. I’ll have you back where you belong soon enough.”

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The manor was quiet as Emma appeared in the foyer, cool green eyes scanning the visible rooms for any sign of movement. Any sign of life within the pristine white walls. Henry was with her mother, that much she already knew, but as for Regina, her whereabouts were still unknown. 

The blonde made her way through the kitchen and dining room with slow, calculated footsteps. The sink was empty of any dishes, the counters were free of fingerprints, crumbs or smears, the floors neatly swept. The dining table was polished, the flowers in the crystal vase at the center beginning to wilt. There was no evidence that anyone has touched the rooms in a significant time.

She made short work of Regina’s study, pausing only to examine a few photographs, one that she hadn’t noticed the last time she’d been in this room. Once her curiosity was sated, she made her way upstairs slowly, her heeled boots clicking against the sleek wood. The guest room, Henry’s room and the guest bathroom all got similar treatment, scanned slowly and with few things touched before green eyes turned their sights on the set of double doors at the end of the hallway. 

Slender fingers curled around the handle of the left door, pushing the pair open slowly. This was one room that Emma had been in only a handful of times and never, ever before the time she became the Dark One. Curious eyes were drawn to the photographs neatly arranged in sleek, simple frames on the top of the dresser facing Regina’s bed. 

Emma lifted a black frame from its resting place and brought it closer; the photograph was of herself and Regina at Granny’s, she vaguely recalled the night she joined the brunette at the bar for shots to wallow in their mutual disappointments in life. The image showed both woman grinning at the camera, Emma’s tongue sticking out childishly at the photographer while Regina, ever more classy, had her head thrown back in laughter, her cheeks tinted pink from exertion and liquor. 

The former Savior frowned a bit as she replayed the memories she had of that night. It had been a good night, a night will no fighting or magic, simply two friends sharing drinks and laughter. She replaced the frame where she found it and moved on to the others on display, mostly of Henry at various ages, a few featuring Regina or Emma. 

A photograph seated on the nightstand drew the blonde’s attention, this one situated in  a black frame with white corners breaking up the glossy finish. Slender fingers curled around the edge of the frame and lifted it closer to curious eyes. It was a photograph of her, her and Regina actually, from that night at Granny’s. The picture displayed the women in very close proximity, Emma’s lips pressed to the apple of Regina’s cheek while the former Queen tried to move away, clearly ticklish if her pink cheeks were anything to go by. 

Emma didn’t recall ever taking this picture, she couldn’t find any knowledge that this photograph existed aside from the weight of the frame in her hands. She had so openly displayed her affection for the older woman at one point? Green eyes fell back to the photograph trapped behind the glass, trying to distinguish why it was that a conversation about this particular incident had never arisen before, but more specifically, why this particular photograph had been printed and framed to rest on the Mayor’s night table.

She set the frame back in its place slowly after scrutinizing it for a few moments longer, turning away to scan the room once more. As with the rest of the house, everything was immaculate and in its place. The bed was made up neatly with a tasteful black and white bedspread, pillows fluffed and precisely placed. Perfume bottles  sat neatly atop a shelf to the left of the vanity which was organized with a quantity of makeup fit for a Queen. 

A brief look into the en suite showed similar living conditions, hair brush and toothbrush precisely in place, shower walls free of loose hairs. Regina Mills was nothing if not tidy. Emma sneered a bit at the over attention she paid to the way Regina did things, turning on her heel and striding from the room. The Queen wasn’t here, that much was clear. It was time to move on to where she had no doubts she would find the woman she sought. 

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If Regina were the type of woman to scream when she was startled, she most certainly would have when a swirl of dark grey smoke deposited the Dark One in her path. Cool green eyes watched her with nothing short of malice in them as she took a step back. She had returned to the vault hoping to use a locator spell to aid in her search, but it appeared it was no longer needed. 

“Emma, where have you been? I’ve been running all over this damn town looking for you.” The brunette attempted to keep her voice level but even she couldn’t deny that this version of the blonde was imposing and a bit unsettling. 

“Oh, have you? I was just paying a visit to a few old friends.” The smile that Emma flashed her way resembled a snarl more than anything else, teeth bared and glinting in the afternoon light.  “That’s interesting because I’ve been looking for you. It’s time you and I had a little talk, your majesty.”

A shiver skittered up the brunette’s spine, but she resisted the urge to take another step back. “Well, you found me. So, let’s talk. What the hell were you thinking? Blue? Gepetto? Your mother? Where did this sudden need for revenge come from?”

“Revenge? This isn’t revenge, Regina. This is me getting the answers I deserved years ago.” The younger woman stepped closer, invading Regina’s personal space which caused the shorter woman to take a step back. Brown eyes widened minutely when her back hit the stone wall beside the door to her father’s mausoleum. 

“From what I can tell, you got all the answers you asked for and many that you didn’t. You ripped Blue’s wings from her body like an animal and you turned Pinocchio back into a puppet. When is it going to be enough for you?”

Emma’s eyes went from cold to completely frozen in the span of less than a second, a sound akin to a growl forcing its way past her dark red lips. A pale hand closed around a smooth olive toned throat as the former Savior invaded the Queen’s personal space, coming within less than an inch of her lips brushing against the older woman’s. 

“There isn’t an _enough_. I had my life _stolen_ from me, just like you did. The difference is that when it happened to you, you understood what was going on! You knew what was happening. I was thrown into a _fucking tree_ and sent to another realm because of your curse!” The blonde spat the words like they left a foul taste in her mouth. “I wasn’t given an ounce of a fighting chance. Do you understand that? Do you comprehend that? An infant that wasn’t even 6 hours old was shoved into a magical wardrobe and expected to somehow survive in a strange land and come back to break a curse! _Your curse._ ”

The anger in the cool green eyes was enough to make the older woman swallow thickly, pressing herself back against the stone to try and put even a half an inch more distance between them. The reality that her son’s other mother could very easily end her life was not lost on her. 

Regina took a deep breath,closing her eyes for a moment as she felt the fingers around her throat twitch with the desire to squeeze. Her next words came out softly, but full of sincerity. 

“If this is what you need to do to let go of the hatred you feel, then do it. If this is how I have to go out, showing you that there are people in the world who love you no matter what you do…” She let out a weak, short laugh, tears filling her eyes “Well, then that’s a worthy end for me.”

Emma stared back at the woman before her, the sincerity and care displayed in the watery chocolate gaze pulled her back into the past. Back to a time before this moment. She rested her free hand on the stone beside Regina’s head, her grip on the slender throat not loosening as she thought about the how different the words were in contrast to their first year together:

_‘You may have given birth to him, but he is MY son’_

_‘I suggest you get in your car and you leave this town’_

_‘I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do’_

_‘You have no idea what I’m capable of’_

_‘We all lose our heroes at some point’_

Green eyes opened to find her face centimeters from the former Queen’s, close enough to feel the labored breaths against her lips. She could see the light golden flecks swimming in chocolate pools and she could smell the salt of unshed tears.

“I want to kill you.”

The words sent a bolt of fear through both women because there was no distruth in them. Regina silently hoped that Henry would understand when this was over, understand that you can’t strictly label someone as good or evil because of the things they do. 

“I want to kill you.” The words were repeated slowly this time, less certain. “I want to, but I can’t. I can’t because you understand how it feels to be trapped in a life that you didn’t ask for. How it feels to be forced into a role that you don’t want to play. I can’t kill you because I need you to keep saving me.”

She pulled back, releasing the woman so suddenly one might have thought it burned to touch her, She strode several feet away, jaw working in agitation at her inability to solve what she perceived to be the root of all of her problems. The poison which was also the cure, a conundrum. 

The silence that stretched between the two women was deafening, thick and practically palpable. Regina lifted her hand to gingerly touch her throat, grimacing at the thought that there would very likely be a bruise there in the morning. She kept her eyes trained on the blonde’s back, noting the tense shoulders and the rigid posture.

The next words spoken nearly knocked the Mayor off her feet in surprise. They were perfectly ordinary words, nothing special, but they held such a heavy meaning. 

“Cookie dough.”  Emma half turned towards her, just enough to meet her gaze. 

“I…. _what_?” Regina looked confused and concerned and a tad bit frightened at the sudden change in topic.

“Your favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough. You like it best with two scoops, side by side, perfectly symmetrical. You like it covered in that overly expensive salted caramel sauce you think I don’t know you keep in the back corner of the top shelf of your pantry. You like exactly 3 maraschino cherries placed apart from one another, stems on so you can pick them up without getting your fingers sticky.” 

The blonde let her voice trail off, her words hanging in the air between them as the older woman digested exactly what it meant that someone knew this information in such detail, that someone had paid so much attention to her. 

Before she could open her mouth to respond, a noise from within the mausoleum caused both women to shift their attention elsewhere. Emma moved with inhuman speed to the doors of the crypt,flicking her wrist to throw the doors wide. Lips curling into a feral snarl at the sight before her. 

There stood Captain Hook, swaying slightly from his intake of rum, grimy fingers clutching her dagger. He squinted in the blinding afternoon light before his eyes focused on the figure in front of him. 

“Swan! Just in time! No need to fear, love. I have come to free you from the Queen’s wicked grasp.” The man flashed what could be considered a charming smile towards the blonde, sauntering forward and invading her personal space. 

“I told you I didn’t need you handling my dagger. The dagger belongs to Regina.” Emma moved forward, her magic forcing him back into the crypt, keeping him from physically touching her. “If you have any brain cells left that aren’t drunk on cheap rum, I suggest you release my dagger before I use it to remove your remaining hand, pirate.”

Confusion crossed the scruffy man’s features briefly before he resumed leering at her “Oi, don’t be that way, Swan. Come back to the Jolly Roger with me and I’ll remind you why we’re meant to be together.” 

“I have no intention of going anywhere with you.” Jade eyes narrowed in anger at the presumptuous tone as well as the unsettling knowledge that he could very well wield the power of the Dark One while he possessed her dagger. 

“Oh, I think you will.” He lifted the dagger to point her name towards her “Dark One, I command thee, return to the Jolly Roger with me.” 

**A/N: There we are, our extra long chapter. Please sound off about the story and how you would like to see it progress. Early warning: Next chapter will have very graphic depictions of violence and implications of sexual assault.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello my Regals. I apologize for the late update. I am happy to announce that going forward I will be updating every Monday. Mark your calendars! This chapter isn't as long but it's very intense so I thought shorter was better.**

**Disclaimer: There are mentions of rape/attempted rape and there are very graphic depictions of violence.**

_ “Oh, I think you will.” He lifted the dagger to point her name towards her “Dark One, I command thee, return to the Jolly Roger with me.”  _

A heartbeat passed and then another and another, green eyes never straying from blue as Hook and Emma waited for something, anything, to happen. Nothing did. No magic erupted around them, no magnetic pull had Emma staggering into the drunken man’s arms. There was nothing.

Hook snarled “I command you, Dark One! You will return with me!”

“Over your dead body,pirate.” The Queen’s voice rang from behind them, her small frame appearing surprisingly imposing in the doorway to the mausoleum. “I suggest you set down that dagger and leave before I change my mind about not flambeying you."

The blonde lowered her hand and backed away from the pirate slowly, confusion marring her features as she tried to comprehend why there was no pull from the dagger. She moved until she was stood just in front of the brunette in a protective stance. 

“What the bloody hell is going on?! What have you done to her dagger, witch?!” The one handed man pushed away from the wall and advanced on the two women, gripping the hilt of the dagger tighter, just to be safe. “Emma, you will be leaving with me, now.”

“I will be doing nothing with you aside from snapping your neck and leaving your body to hang from the clock tower.” The younger woman sneered, her gaze piercing the pirate with such intensity that he felt his instinct to run rear its head.

“I have your dagger. You will do as I command.”

The sound of laughter from behind the pair was enough to break the tension in the room, Regina shaking her head a bit in amusement.

“Are you that stupid, guyliner? Do you really think that, after all my years as Queen, I don’t know a rat when I see one?” She took slow, measured steps further into the small space, waving her hand to summon the blade, enjoying the gobsmacked expression of the grimy pirate’s face upon finding his hand empty.

“How?! No one can use magic to summon the Dark One’s dagger.”

“I’m not summoning Emma’s dagger, you idiot. I knew you or the two idiots or someone else equally as foolish in this town would take it upon themselves to try and overthrow Emma’s request that I keep the dagger. Do you honestly think I would just leave it laying around like a pair of scissors?” She turned the blade over in her hand and it slowly shifted into an equally impressive but very ordinary knife. “Are you so foolish to think that entering my vault wouldn’t have consequences?”

Emma stepped forward and examined the knife held in the Queen’s hand, impressed with the trick and a bit surprised she couldn’t sense the magic cloaking the blade. 

“If that’s not my dagger, where is it?” Green eyes locked onto brown, desperation and panic showing clearly to the older woman.

“Safe. I have it locked away somewhere only I can access. I knew that, eventually, I would need to ensure that you and I were the only people able to access it.” She kept her eyes trained on the pirate, experience had taught her that a fight was never over until it was truly over.

The blonde nodded, needing no further explanation from the woman. She turned to face the man, her once proclaimed True Love, and she felt her stomach turn in disgust. How could anyone believe they were destined, fated to be together? The younger woman had never believed in fate or destiny. Growing up, she had learned very quickly that nothing in the world was fair. Nothing was handed to you. You either worked and sweated and built your own life or you sat in the hole you were born in and withered away.

“You need to leave, Captain. Quickly, I suggest, while I still lean towards letting you live.”

“You’re going to choose her, then? Is that it, Swan? I gave up my ship for you! I stayed in this bloody town and dealt with your filthy little brat and this is how you repay me?”

The man’s words were cut short by the feel of his throat closing, green eyes pinning him in place. Slender fingers curled in a beckoning motion, drawing the immobilized pirate closer until the invisible force was replaced by piercing nails.n The words that flowed from between red lips making all present parties inhale sharply.

“Yes. I choose her. I will always choose her.”

She brought his face closer, wanting to see the fear she could see growing in his eyes. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him, as if contemplating something before she suddenly released him and turned away.

“You choose that little bitch over me!? We’re destined, Swan. I am your True Love. What will she ever be able to give you?! Why can’t you love me the way you’re supposed to!?” He snarled, advancing on her from behind, the sound of his zipper lowering echoed in the mausoleum.

Dark smoke formed around the man’s body, twining around his arms and lifting him several inches off the ground, holding him in place. The Dark One turned slowly to face him, her eyes lowering to his open pants before traveling back up to his face.

“What did you think, Hook? That you would overpower me? Get inside me and I would love you?” Green eyes remained cold and emotionless as she spoke, her voice holding a sharp edge that implied she was very near to crossing the threshold between the dark and the light.

“You are a villain. There is no past tense like there is for Regina. She  _ was _ a villain. You and I, we  _ are _ villains. We are the things people fear. You left her to be tortured at the hands of another man. You have murdered. You have raped. You have taken what you pleased and laughed in the face of those that you left behind.” With each word the pirate found himself struggling for air, the power rolling off of the blonde woman making it impossible for him to even contemplate an escape. “Yet you ask me to love you? You ask me to turn a blind eye to all of the ways that the world, my world, would be better without you in it?” A harsh bark of laughter burst forth from red lips and she shook her head. “You attempted to take me by force, not for the first time. Ask me again why I could never love you.”

A flick of the wrist sent the man crashing against the stone wall, his body landing with a heavy noise. Regina stepped forward and grasped Emma’s wrist, pulling her back a bit.

“Emma, that’s enough. It’s enough….”

The Mayor lifted her hands to rest on pale cheeks, her brow furrowed as she felt the head beneath her fingertips. Emma’s magic was becoming unstable as it had when the town had come under fire from the Ice Queen. Brown eyes softened in concern as she ran her thumbs over the faint pink spots on each cheek,watching the blonde relax beneath her touch.

If Regina could have frozen time in that moment, she would never have unfrozen it if only to prevent what occurred next. If only to keep Emma with her like this.

The sound of movement broke both women free of their own thoughts, Regina moving to stand in front of Emma, a fireball forming in her hand in preparation. Her eyes widened at the sight of Hook lunging towards her, pants lowered and hook extended with the intention of inflicting damage on whichever woman was nearest to him.

Instinct drove the former Queen as memories of a lifetime ago invaded her thoughts, forcing her back into the bedchamber of the King, back into his bed, back beneath his heaving, thrusting body as she wished herself to be anywhere but where she was. She found herself back on the balcony of the castle, looking longingly down at the stone terrace below and willing herself to lean forward more in the hopes of losing her grip, losing her balance as she had lost her innocence.

The howl of pain that rang through the room was enough to bring her back to this moment, brown eyes opening in time to see the arc of blood as it splattered the stone wall, the severed appendage landing at her feet as she pulled the blade back. The pirate howling as he clutched at the wound.

“You crazy bitch! I’ll fucking kill you!” Blood seeped between his fingers, dripping onto the floor as he knelt hunched over, trying desperately to stop the bleeding, his eyes widening as they landed on his detached member. Another howl ripping from his throat as he struggled to his feet and surged forward towards the brunette, his bloodied hand lifting before it collided with her face, leaving a red smear across her cheek. 

Strong arms kept the former Queen from falling, the force of the blow enough to send her staggering backwards into the former Saviour. Once she was steady the arms vanished from around her.

Emma moved swiftly, her hands already swirling with magic. Dark grey smoke wrapped around the pirates body, curling and twisting like snakes around his legs, hips, chest and arms, lifting him from the ground to hover before the Dark One. Sharp nails grasped his face as she bared her teeth at him in warning.

“Consider this a parting gift, Captain.”

She brought her face closer, their lips coming within millimeters of touching before his body was hurled backwards, the sound of it colliding with the stone wall was sickening enough to make the Queen turn away. The sound came again as he was thrown against the opposing wall,the sharp snap alerting the gleeful Saviour of at least one broken rib. Green eyes followed the trajectory of the pirate’s body as it was lifted from the floor with such force that it slammed against the ceiling of the crypt, a bold red stain remaining in its wake as Emma released her hold, allowing Hook to fall to the stone floor with a sickening thud.

The blonde circled the man’s body slowly, stepping over the growing puddle of blood seeping from beneath him and nudging aside his shriveled appendage with the toe of her boot, using magic to force his neck to twist enough for him to look up at her.

“Have you had enough? Are you ready to apologize to your Queen?”

The response came in the form of spit on her boot which was swiftly met with a broken nose, the former Sheriff pressing her foot firmly against the broken portion of the pirate’s jaw, forcing his face further against the floor.

“Very well, we’ll do it my way then.”

She lifted her hand and with a flick of her wrist lifting the broken man from the ground, her finger moving lazily side to side as she threw him with increasing force at the far wall of the crypt, painting a gruesome picture with each cry of pain that was pulled from him, only stopping when a warm hand wrapped around her wrist. Green eyes turned from their prey to see who dared to stop her from completing her task.

“Emma…..that’s enough. This isn’t you. I am asking you, put him down right now. Please. You asked me to save you but I can’t do that if you cross this line.” Brown eyes looked back at her, sincere and pleading as her hand was lowered to her side.

She gave a curt nod and released the pirate, letting him slump against the wall in a crumpled heap,blood trickling from the many injuries sustained during the altercation. Regina grimaced and waved her hand, both pirate and severed part vanishing a plume of purple smoke. She turned to find the blonde standing beside the bloodied wall, fingers tracing the art she had made before bringing her finger to her lips with a soft hum.

“You should have let me kill him,Regina.”

**A/N: There we are, my dears. As I said, very intense so a little shorter than normal. I will have a new chapter ready for you by next Monday! Until then!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here was are, my Regals and Ducklings! As promised, a new chapter. This one is much less intense in terms of violence and I finally caved and wrote some nice intimate moments for our two ladies. I think they've earned it, don't you?**

“You should have let me kill him,Regina.”

The blonde’s words had been echoing around in the older woman’s brain for the last twenty minutes. Regina sat on the steps of the mausoleum and stared out at the cemetery spread out before her. She could hear Emma moving around just feet behind her as she cleared away the blood and gore from the sacred space. 

It had only taken minutes for the blonde’s eyes to soften once the adrenaline had worn off, her anger shifting to concern for the brunette who seemed to have become catatonic after the events of the day. She had led the stunned woman out of the stifling crypt and helped her sit down on the cool stone steps, murmuring soft assurances that she would handle the mess before she escorted Regina home. 

This had happened around the same time that the former Mayor had looked down at her hands to find them stained with blood,a pattern which she found continued on her cheeks and neck, the red streaks and splatters already drying and making the woman shudder at the sticky feel of it. It was too familiar, the feeling of blood on her skin, burning against the flesh it touched to leave permanent reminders. 

Somehow, she couldn’t find it in her to use magic to remove the evidence. She needed to feel the sin wash away under scalding water. BroInwn eyes continued moving slowly back and forth across the landscape of the cemetery, taking in each individual headstone and statue that dotted the sprawling green area, many of the visible names were familiar to her as deceased family members of many of the town’s people. She may have been called evil in her time as Queen, but even she wasn’t completely heartless. So she brought the dead along with the living, a small way to keep families together without compromising her own curse. 

“Who are they?” A soft voice asked from behind her just before the former Sheriff seated herself beside the former Queen. She nodded towards the gravestones she had caught the woman gazing at and repeated the question. “In the graves, who are they?”

“Family members. None of them are my own, save for my father, of course.” She waves her hand towards the building behind them to emphasize the point. “Many of them are loved ones of the town’s residents that were brought over with the curse.” The brunette motioned to the nearest headstone. “That is Anita Lucas, Ruby’s mother and Eugenia’s daughter.” Another was pointed out. “ Over there is Archie’s parents.” A small cluster of headstones came next. “Dwarves, ones lost in the war against me.” She grew quiet as her gaze returned to her blood flecked hands. 

“Are any of them mine?” The question was asked lightly as if the answer didn’t really matter, they both knew that it did. Emma wanted to know how much family she would have had in the Enchanted Forest. The Queen knew this was a fair question for her to ask. 

“Yes.” Regina rose to her feet slowly and motioned for the blonde to follow her around the other side of the crypt. She chose not to comment on how closely the younger woman followed her, the heat that the brunette could feel seeping through her jacket was almost enough to make her shiver again.  She came to a stop near a neat array of headstones, situated so that they were facing the mausoleum, 

“These two are your father’s parents, Robert and Ruth. Over there is his brother, James. They never met in life. For the best, James wasn’t of the same cloth as your father.” She remarked ruefully, her hands touching each neatly polished stone as she passed them, giving the blonde time to look at each one and read the engravings bearing dates and names. 

“My mother? Does she have family here?” Green eyes met brown and the silent question passed between them: Did he come over with the curse or was he left behind?

“Yes. She has family here.” Dark eyes flicked away to look towards another set of headstones, two of them neatly polished and tended to, the third situated away from the rest was weather worn and covered in ivy, weeds curling around the base. Regina took slow steps towards the neatly cared for ones first. “Her mother, Eva, and her childminder, Johanna.” 

She looked up when she received no response to find Emma staring intently at the dilapidated stone etched with a name she had only heard a handful of times. Some letters were rubbed away from the storms of days past but they weren’t needed. She knew his name. She knew his story. She knew what he had done. 

“Why did you bring him?”

The former Queen lifted her head in surprise at the abrupt question. It was asked almost angrily, as if accusing her of doing something devious or corrupt. Somehow, she knew this wasn’t what the younger woman was implying, but the disgust in her tone concerned the brunette. 

“I brought him because he is her family, and yours, even if he was never mine. Your mother may never know what the King did to me or what he took from me, but that’s not her burden to bear. Not anymore.” She replied calmly, turning away from the name on the rock which, even now, made her skin crawl. 

“He is no family of mine. I’m disgusted to share blood with a monster like him.” 

Strong arms slid around the brunette as her knees gave out,keeping her steady. No one in her life had ever vocally denounced the King for his actions. No one had ever dared or at least had never thought it worth the breath. 

“You need rest.” Was all that was said before gray smoke swirled around them both, the older woman sinking further into the embrace in the safety of the swirling magic. Once it had cleared, Regina found them standing at the foot of her bed, Emma’s arm remaining around her to keep her upright. She turned slowly to face the younger woman,noticing that there was far more blonde showing in her hair than there had been before. She felt the pull in her stomach and, for once, she didn’t bother to fight against it. She leaned into the blonde, burying her face against the slender neck and allowed herself to be held. Even if it was just in these few moments, she needed someone else to be strong for her. The arms around her tightened and slim fingers began stroking carefully through her hair.

The silence stretched around them as minutes ticked by, neither woman attempting to move from their current place until Emma began to guide the smaller woman back towards the bed which was instantly met with resistance. 

“No. Not while I’m covered in his blood.” Brown locks swayed as she shook her head and ran a hand over her face. “I need a shower….” 

The blonde nodded and stepped back slowly, making sure that the brunette wouldn’t collapse once she let go, before making her way into the en suite and starting the shower, adjusting the knobs until the temperature was just hot enough to have steam curling towards the ceiling. She returned to the room and took Regina’s hand, leading her into the bathroom and helping her out of her jacket, pale hands trailing over caramel skin as she undid her necklace and set it on the counter. Green eyes locked onto chocolate ones in the mirror as her fingers closed over the zipper of the older woman’s dress, silently asking for permission. A soft nod came after a moment and the brunette turned her gaze away shyly as the zipper was lowered and the fabric slid down over her hips. 

There was nothing rushed about the movements, no hidden intent to each touch as clothing was removed. The blonde hesitated for a moment when nimble fingers ran over the buttons to her own shirt, looking up at her for silent permission. Silent conversation passed between the two woman as they contemplated this step. There was nothing sexual in the air around them, not in this moment. Right now, it was a need for contact, to feel safe. The former bounty hunter ducked her head and nodded, helping the other woman slowly remove her own clothes to reveal porcelain skin marred only by a handful of scars on her back and shoulders. No words were exchanged as each woman took in the sight of the other, their hands linking before they stepped beneath the spray of water. 

Soft, olive toned hands lifted to run over her face slowly, her body trembling softly as each fleck of blood came free and was washed down the drain. Strong hands rested on her waist to keep her steady, thumbs lightly stroking to discreetly rub away flecks of blood that still resided on their fingertips. 

The blonde remained silent as she watched the older woman wash the red stains from her cheeks, green eyes following the pink trails as they made their way down the tanned skin to the shower floor. The tension in the smaller woman’s body began to seep away with the spray of the hot water, once the evidence of the day had long disappeared from her skin she found herself sighing softly in relief. Regina shyly turned to look up at the Savior, her own personal Savior in many ways, giving a soft smile to let her know that she was okay. She reached up carefully and began washing a bit of blood from along the blonde’s jaw.

Emma felt herself relaxing into the wandering touch, closing her eyes as the evidence of her misdeeds was slowly scrubbed away by the smell of apples which wafted around the pair. Neither woman spoke as they finished their shower, but the exhaustion between the two was palpable. 

Regina stepped carefully out of the shower, wrapping her body in a fluffy white black towel before handing one to Emma, her eyes lingering on the pale skin on display for a moment longer before her fingers released the towel and she turned away. 

The two woman made their way into the bedroom slowly, drying themselves before the brunette flicked her wrist to dress them both in simple pajama sets, her own a simple black slip while Emma sported a black tank top and shorts. She perched herself on the edge of the bed and finished drying her chocolate locks to avoid leaving water stains on her pillow. 

Emma made her way slowly to the other side of the bed, her eyes gazing around the room as she settled herself against the headboard. Green eyes strayed slowly to watch the woman beside her as she applied lotion to her legs and plugged her phone into the charger. Once the usual routine had been completed, dark eyes turned to find green ones in a silent question 

The former Savior slid further beneath the covers and opened her arms in a silent request for the former Queen to come closer. The request was met with a small smile before the woman moved closer, her body curling against her companion’s. Her legs slipping between and over Emma’s, her head resting against a warm chest, her hand finding purchase in the material above the younger woman’s stomach. 

The blonde looked down at the woman in her arms and reflected on the journey the two had taken, both together and separately, over the span of the last few years. It had all led to this, to the moment that they would have moments for their memories only, She ran a hand slowly along the column of the other woman’s back, using the other to bring the blanket more fully over them. It was only a few fleeting minutes before she felt the body against her relax and curl further against her, the soft breath against her chest having evened out to a steady rhythm. She lifted a hand to gently move aside an errant strand of hair from the sleeping woman’s face, allowing her thumb to graze over the tanned cheek. This would be the first time that the Dark One would remain until sunlight peeked through the curtains to illuminate the couple as they lay asleep. 

“Take a break, my savior. Let me save you tonight. Our fight isn’t over yet.”

  **A/N: There we are, my loves! I hope you all enjoyed your first glimpse at our ladies' (potential) happy ending. There is still much to do before the fight is over. Until next week!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello my darlings! I do apologize for posting so late in the day but I was having a bit of trouble deciding where to go with this chapter. I'm hoping you'll all be pleasantly surprised! Enjoy!**

_ “Take a break, my savior. Let me save you tonight. Our fight isn’t over yet.” _

Regina began to stir slowly, her eyes opening and closing a few times as they struggled to adjust to the late morning light. It was well beyond the normal time that the Mayor would have been awake, but she couldn’t find it in her to care. She stretched slowly, looking down towards the arm wrapped protectively over her stomach.

The Dark One was in her bed.

The brunette smiled a bit, tracing her fingers along the pale skin, feeling the fingers flex against her abdomen before the arm started to retract. Regina grasped the fingers and pulled the arm back around her.

“No running away, Miss Swan. Just lay with me, please.”

The only answer she received came in the form of the blonde returning her hand to its previous position and laying her head back on the pillow, her breath warm against the back of the older woman’s neck. Slender fingers continued tracing over the forearm wrapped around her, enjoying the simple contact of having the woman she had been through so much with holding her this way.

“Why are you doing all of this, Regina?”

The words were spoken softly against the back of her neck, the lips just barely missing brushing her skin. The brunette turned her head a bit to see over her shoulder, her brows furrowing.

“What do you mean?” She turned over carefully to face the younger woman, looking up into green eyes curiously. “Emma, why do you think I could possibly have a reason for not doing this?”

The blonde, surprisingly a full blonde save for a few noticeable strands of white behind her ears, looked back at her with a mixture of concern and confusion. “I just don’t understand why you’re doing this to begin with. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I owe you everything, Emma. You gave me Henry, our son. You sacrificed your, well your life, to save me when the Darkness was released. You saved someone who has never been viewed as worthy of being saved…..”

“You are worthy of being saved. You didn’t deserve what was done to you. You didn’t deserve to be sold off into a loveless marriage.” Pale fingers lifted to tuck a strand of dark hair behind the older woman’s ear. “You deserve to be happy. I’ve had my life. It wasn’t always good or full of love, but it was mine. I found my family. I found my son. It’s time that you found your happiness.”

The former Queen frowned a bit and opened her mouth to protest before closing it again. She contemplated what the younger woman had said for a few moments before finally speaking what she considered to be carefully thought out words

“Emma, I don’t want to find my happiness. My happiness is Henry. If I find someone to love who can love me with all the scars and bruises, great. If not, I’m perfectly content to devote my time to watching Henry grow up. I’m hoping you’ll be there to experience that with me.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, she couldn’t let down that wall just yet. It was too soon and she wanted Emma to be free from the Darkness before anything further was even discussed between them.

“I want to be around for it, Regina. I want to see him grow up and graduate high school. I want to meet his girlfriends or boyfriends. I don’t really judge. I just….I don’t want to miss more of his life.”  The blonde looked down at her hands for a moment before speaking again. “I need you to promise me that if you can’t fix it…..if you can’t fix me, that you’ll make the hard decision. I don’t want Henry to spend his life, to waste his life, trying to save me. If you can’t take the Darkness out, I need you to promise that you’ll put an end to it.”

Silence stretched between the two women as the words settled around them. They both knew that, logically, Regina was the only person who would be able to step over the line if the time came. Snow and Charming couldn’t, wouldn’t do it. They would insist until their dying breath that their daughter could be saved even if her own hand was the one cutting off their air supply. Ruby couldn’t be trusted not to get emotional or break under the pressure as she had when the town thought that Mary Margaret had murdered Kathryn Nolan.

Obviously, Hook and Robin were both out of the question. Regina grimaced at the thought that Robin probably could go through with it if it was needed, but he would enjoy it far too much. She shook the thought away and turned her attention back to the younger woman.

“I can promise you that I will do everything that I can, in this realm and any other, to rid you of the burden of the dagger. I can promise you that you won’t be alone, whether we find a way to fix it or not.” She moved closer to the blonde, her hand coming up to rest against her jaw, a sad smile curling on her lips. “I promise you, Emma Swan, that if I cannot break the curse of the Dark One, I will do as you ask.”

The tension in the room began to seep away slowly as both women digested the information and the agreement that had just been made. Neither took the words spoken lightly and both could agreed, should they ever choose to talk about it, that there was a far heavier meaning behind them.

“Regina, I need to tell you…just in case…” Regina lifted her finger to stop the blonde’s words, shaking her head a little bit.

“No. No, just in case. You can’t think like that. We haven’t tried everything yet. Whatever you need to tell me, it can wait until we remove your darkness.” She looked up at the younger woman with a soft smile, lowering her finger. 

“I can’t wait.” Emma confessed softly. Even if Regina wouldn’t admit it, the former Sheriff knew exactly how this would end. She had the power of sight, she knew what had already been and what was to be. She didn’t find herself on the list of things that would continue to be. Pale fingers slipped around to the back of the other woman’s neck, her fingers twisting in the small strands of dark hair she felt there. The hesitation lasted a moment, then two before the younger woman closed the distance between them.

The kiss was tender and careful, as if both women were waiting to be cut by broken glass. Regina’s fingers gripped the fabric of the blonde’s tank top, pulling her a bit closer when she tried to pull away. It was everything. Everything that had happened within their lives over the last five years faded away, washed clean by the feeling of knowing, in this moment, that there could be hope for a future.

**A/N: There we are, my lovely readers! Please, as always, leave me some reviews to let me know what you think. I haven't decided an end point for the story as of yet, but if any of you feel it may be time to wrap it up, let me know!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Here we are, my dears! Chapter 18! No lovey dovey stuff this time, unfortunately. It's crunch time and Regina has to find a way to save her Savior!**

Regina sighed quietly as she sat at the island counter in her kitchen. A mug of quickly cooling coffee resting off to her right, a stack of books on magic and curses within reach of her left hand. She rubbed her eyes slowly as she flicked through page after page of useless information. It was like being back at square one.

It had been sixteen days since the former Queen had castrated the grimy drunkard of a pirate and sent him for an extended stay in the Intensive Care Unit of Storybrooke Hospital. It had been fifteen days since she and the town's former Savior had agreed upon the path that would be taken should all other attempts fail. Fifteen days since they had sealed that promise with the first, and possibly only, kiss the pair would ever have together.

The couple had shared a few moments together afterwards before the blonde had given a faint smile and disappeared in a plume of grey smoke, her parting words echoing in the brunette's head for days to come: "You can do this, Regina. I believe you can. You know how to find me when it's time."

Another soft sigh echoed through the room as yet another book was added to the rapidly growing pile labeled "Unhelpful" which rested on the dining table behind the older woman. Slender fingers lifted to rub at the pounding which had formed behind her temples hours before. Who was she kidding? Days before.

"Seems like you could use a bit of help, Dearie." Regina flinched at the voice, turning in her seat to look at the unexpected and unwelcome visitor.

"I don't recall ordering an imp, imp." She snarked, brown eyes narrowed in suspicious as they always tended to be in the older man's presence. She rose to her feet and smoothed out her dress carefully. "Is there a reason that you decided it was appropriate to let yourself into my home?"

"Oh, a little bird told me that you may need my…..assistance." Rumple offered by way of explanation, his cane tapping against the tile flooring as he moved further into the room. His dark eyes scanned over the various books piled on the surface of the table.

"I didn't ask for any assistance. Especially not from you. I'm not in the business of making deals…." She let out a laugh "Oh, you don't get to make deals anymore, do you? You lost all your darkness." She smiled at him in that way that would have sent chills down anyone else's back.

"Be that as it may, I still have my magic, Dearie. Not all of that power came from the dagger." He returned the smile though his was much more sinister. "Now, as it happens, I have a solution that may be just what you need to bring back our dear Savior." He waved his hand in a flourish as he tended to do when he was pitching a solution to a problem. "For a price, of course." He added thoughtfully, crossing to examine the books Regina had been working with upon his arrival, his fingers drumming slowly against the cover of the next book in the pile.

"As I said, I didn't ask for assistance." The Queen waved her hand dismissively and carried her coffee mug to the sink, rinsing it out and setting it aside to dry. "Your prices are always too high, Rumple, and Emma isn't something I'm willing to gamble on. So, unless you're here pro bono, you know where the door is." She dried her hands on the crisp white dish towel hanging over the handle of her oven before turning back towards the man, frowning upon finding the room empty.

"I hate that little Imp." She muttered beneath her breath before making her way back to her seat and pulling the next book from the stack. She skimmed over the pages slowly, looking for key words or phrases to indicate anything helpful. Page after page was turned with no results aside from increasing the Mayor's frustration.

Regina took a break from her scrutiny of the large book to make herself a simple lunch which consisted of a tossed salad topped with mushrooms, spinach, cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of french salad dressing. The food along with a fresh cup of coffee helped to alleviate the majority of her headache.

"Alright, let's see what we can find." The brunette murmured as she pulled the open book towards her again, her focus and energy renewed. Brown eyes scanned each line of text before moving to the next page, repeating this process until her eyes caught on a spell. She pulled the book closer, her breath catching as she drank in the words on the page. It was risky, but it would save Emma.

It would be worth the price she would have to pay.

She read over the spell and the instructions half a dozen more times before she nodded. This was it. This was the solution.

She closed the book and gathered it in her arms along with her keys before she made her way out to the Mercedes-Benz parked in the driveway. A quick scan of the street confirmed she was, to the best of her knowledge, alone. The book was deposited into the passenger seat and the car roared to life before being steered towards the cemetery.

The trip across town was short but felt as though it took an eternity. The brunette repeated the information that she knew over in her head as she drove. She had everything that she needed in her vault to make this work. The sleek black car slid to a stop against the curb and Regina stepped out, leaning back into the vehicle for a moment to grab the book before snapping the door shut behind her.

The brunette took quick strides across the grassy area of the cemetery until her heels clicked against the concrete step of her father's mausoleum. She took a slow breath and pushed the door open, crossing the threshold.

As the Evil Queen, remorse was never really a luxury that she had been afforded. She had been cold and cruel, indifferent to the pain and suffering she inflicted upon others. At the time of her reign, her pain and suffering was all that mattered. She could see very clearly now that this was no way to live or to rule. She looked around the crypt slowly, all signs of the previous altercation had been removed as promised. She gave a small shake of her head and waves her hand to move aside the stoner coffin, descending into her vault.

Regina set the book on the ornate stand beside her work bend and opened it to the correct page. One quick glance over the ingredients for the potion and she set to work selecting vials, powders and various animal body parts. She took great care in adding the precise measurements to the boiling mix. It had to be exact or the result could become far worse than it would already be.

The former Queen took her time stirring the potion, watching the colors change. It was nearly time. She breathed out slowly as she looked at the last ingredient on the page: the heart of a lover.

"I guess mine will have to do. For Emma."

**A/N: Please don't hate me too much. You knew there was going to be a big sacrifice somewhere, right? It's only fair. Don't fret, there's much more to come.**

 


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:Hello my loves! I'm back with another chapter! This one is full to the brim with emotions and there's no Emma in this chapter, but next chapter will be all Regina and Emma and, hopefully, a broken curse.**

**Disclaimer: Some quote used, though the names are changed, are from the 100 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.**

_ “I guess mine will have to do. For Emma.”  _

Regina knew the time for change had come long before this moment that found her standing before a bubbling caldron with her heart in her hand. That time had come many times in her life and each time she had turned away and feigned ignorance. Each time, she had been selfish and concerned only with what she deemed best for herself. 

Slender fingers ran over the curves and ridges of the still beating muscle in her hand. Once so vibrantly red, it now showed very little of the warm color. It was blackened and tarnished by the years spent with the king, hardened by the crimes she was forced to commit and chipped from the many heartbreaks that had been dealt to her throughout her life.

A heart had always been a thing of power, in Regina’s eyes and in those of her mother. It was a person’s entire life which could be, quite literally, held in the palm of one’s hand. A slight squeeze could break the will of most any victim and coerce them into doing as they were ordered. It was never just a slight squeeze, though, or at least it never ended that way. The former Queen shuddered as she thought of the amount of heart which she had held, warm and beating, in her hands. She could count on a single hand how many of those hearts had ever left her hands whole. None of them had ever looked like her own. They had all been bright and shiny, unburdened by darkness. They had all been innocent.

The only claims to something resembling kindness that the brunette had from her time ruling over her kingdom was that the each guard in her service had been given strict orders never to harm a child or a wolf, the latter had been placed into effect as part of a deal she had made with her Huntsman long before he had worn the badge of Sheriff. The first portion of her orders had been ignored only once during her reign. A rogue group of patrol guards had taken it upon themselves to make an example of a small village that bordered Regina’s kingdom. No member of the village would willingly come forward to speak out as to Snow White’s whereabouts, choosing to remain silent and complacent.  When news had reached the Queen of the massacre which had been carried out under her crest, the punishments had been dealt out quickly and mercilessly.

Not a single guard, nor maid, nor peasant knew that on the night of the massacre, the night the blood of innocent men, women and children ran through the cobbled streets of the village and painted the hillsides, the Queen lay against the cool stone of her bedchamber floors, her dress crumpled, and cried out her remorse and regret for the lives which had been so carelessly taken. It was not the men or the women which bothered her. It was the children whose lives had been cut short by the blades of her own guards. Beneath her flag. Under orders presumed to be her own.

The brunette took a slow breath, closing her eyes against the ghosts of her past. There would be time enough for them once it was over. Once Emma was safe again. She replaced her heart slowly into her chest, casting a spell to preserve the potion in its current state before crossing to the staircase once more. Her heels echoed against the stone as she ascended the stairs and replaced her father’s coffin to its usual resting place, pausing to splay a hand across the cool stone. “I’m doing the right thing this time, daddy. I’m making at least one thing right.”

The brunette turned and made her way out into the afternoon sunlight, tilting her head to look up at the sky. It had always been too blue for her liking during the cursed years, too cheerful. Today, it seemed calm and somber with the knowledge of what was to come.

She found Henry first. She wanted the most time to explain to him. She hugged him close to her and inhaled his scent for several minutes before leading him to sit on the bench overlooking the  marina with her.

“Henry, I found some information that could help Emma.” She began slowly, holding one of his hands in hers. “It’s dangerous, but it will take the darkness out of her.”

Her son’s eyes lit up with excitement, “You found a way to fix it! I knew you would! I just knew it! What is it? How are you going to do it?” He asked the questions a mile a minute, his grin so wide that Regina feared it might tear his cheeks.

“Henry.” She said his name gently,smiling a little “It’s a potion  and a spell that I have to use to remove the darkness from her. It’s…” She sighs softly, reaching out to push his hair back from his face. “It’s going to be difficult and….it’s going to take a lot of my magic to do so….”

Brown eyes melted from excitement to concern at the tone in the woman’s voice. The teenager turned his body to face his mother more fully. “Mom, what are you saying? Are you saying you might get hurt if you do this?”

Regina hesitated for a moment, this was her little boy, he didn’t need to be weighed down with this kind of information. She looked at him for a long moment and sighed. He wasn’t a little boy anymore and it was better for him to go into this prepared for the potential outcome.

“Yes, I could. There is a very good chance that I could get hurt or worse by doing this, but I know those risks. I’m willing to take them to help Emma.” She smiled at him softly, her hand reaching out to stroke his cheek. “Can you understand that? You’ve had your entire life up until now with me and I hope to be here for much more, but I can’t deny Emma the chance to have that same time with you.”

Henry stood up from the bench quickly, shaking his head in denial of the words being spoken to him. “No! There has to be another way. That isn’t fair! You’re not evil anymore. You have a chance at a happy ending with Emma! You can’t just leave like that!” He clenched his fists tightly at his sides, brushing roughly at the tears threatening to escape.

“I know it’s not fair, Henry. Don’t you think I know that?” His mother spoke softly, resting her hands on his shoulders. “Life isn’t fair a lot of the time and we have to make certain choices about who we want to be. I made the wrong choices, Henry. I made horrible, terrible choices that hurt people. They hurt Emma more than anyone. I took away her family and her childhood.” She knelt in front of him, wiping the tears from his cheeks even as her own slipped free. “I can never take that back. I will never be able to apologize enough for the things that I’ve done in my life, but I would never apologize for you. You made everything worth it, my little prince.”

“Emma doesn’t care about that stuff! She turned out okay, it wasn’t that bad!” Regina stopped him gently, pressing a kiss to his hand.

“Emma is kind and good and a Charming. She was born royal and she was born with the power of light magic. True Love’s magic. No matter how bad or good it was, she deserved to have been with her family. You deserve a real life with her, like the one you had in New York.” The brunette took a deep breath to calm herself before standing up and meeting Henry’s eyes, so much like her own.

“Henry, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will  _ always  _ love you, but this is the work that I have to do. Tell Emma... tell Emma, I figured it out and I'm okay. Give my love to your grandparents and to the rest of Storybrooke. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Henry, the hardest thing in this world... is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.” She brushed the tears gently from his face, stifling a sob as he launched himself into her arms, his face pressed against her shoulder.

“I don’t want to lose you, mom. I’m not ready yet…..” He clung to her the way he used to as a child, his face red and his tears soaking the fabric of her dress.

“Oh, Henry. You’ll never lose me, not really.” She smoothed his hair and tilted his head up to look at her. “Everything I am right now is because of you, my prince. You believed in me when no one else would, even knowing the things that I had done. You have been, and always will be, my Savior.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead slowly, feeling a rush of warmth flow through her as she held him. She wanted this moment to last as long as possible, in case it was the last one. His tears slowly stopped as he settled for being held by her. She waved her hand and transported them back to the mansion. She took her time helping him remove his shoes and tucking him beneath his covers.

“Sleep, my little prince. It will be better when you wake.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mary Margaret let out a small shriek when a plume of purple smoke appeared in her living room, her eyes wide as she watched it dissipate to reveal her former step-mother. She noticed the red that rimmed the older woman’s eyes, a clear sign that she had been crying.

“Regina, what’s wrong? Is everything okay? Is it Emma?” She hurried across the room, her eyes wide with worry at the thought of something happening to her daughter. Slender fingers curled in the sleeve of the brunette’s dress.

“Not exactly. It does involve Emma, yes.” The former Queen responded, running her fingers through her hair to adjust it before motioning for Mary Margaret to take a seat on the couch. She allowed herself to settle on the floral print couch beside the younger brunette.

“Before you panic, Emma is fine. I’m here about me, actually.” She smoothed her dress over her knees and looked around the small loft apartment. Talking to the woman she spent most of her life hunting shouldn’t be this difficult.

A small hand landed atop hers and squeezed softly, warm brown eyes watching her with intense concern. “What is it, Regina? You can tell me anything.”

The older woman let out a laugh at the irony of the statement but there was no malice or harshness behind it. “Yes, I think that I can.” She turned her head to regard the other woman. “I found a way to help Emma. To take the darkness out of her. It will be a difficult process, but I have no doubt that I can remove the darkness from her.”

“Oh Regina! That’s wonderful news!” The pixie haired woman squealed, hugging the former Mayor tightly. The embrace was returned for a few moments, the older brunette allowing herself to admit that, after everything was said and done, she didn’t completely hate the younger woman.

“Yes, it’s wonderful news for Emma.” Regina murmured as she pulled away from the embrace. “What I wanted to talk to you about was the potential outcomes of this….solution. It’s going to take a lot of magic and energy to complete. It’s going to completely draw the darkness out of Emma and trap it in a different vessel.”

“Okay, I understand. So we just have to pick something to put the darkness into, right? We can do that. There’s that box that Gold has or we could use the dagger itself. Maybe David’s sword?” The excitable princess began listing off objects that could potentially hold the darkness currently being harbored in her daughter.

“Snow, it has to be something living. The darkness has to have a host.” Regina replied softly, looking at her hands in her lap.

“You can’t be serious! Absolutely not, Regina! I will not let you sacrifice someone innocent!” The former Queen held up her hand to silence the younger woman.

“It’s not going to be someone innocent nor will it be someone random. It’s going to be me. The Dark Curse started with me and this curse will end with me. It’s the way this cycle was always meant to play out.” She turned her head to meet the fair skinned woman’s eyes. “This is how I make amends. This is how I fix what I broke, Snow. I have to do this on my own and you have to let me.”

Snow opened and closed her mouth for a few moments before, much like Henry had, launching herself into the arms of her former step-mother. Their past had been littered with blood and tears and words of hate, but she had never stopped caring for the older woman the way she had when she first met her at ten years old. Tears stung here eyes as she whispered against dark locks.

“I’ve been looking for you since I was a little girl.”

**A/N: There we are! I hope you all enjoyed! Next week should be our big finale (to the curse at least, I haven't decided on the story length). So stay tuned!**


	20. Chapter 20:Finale

**A/N:**   **Hello, my loves! I know it has been a very, very, VERY long wait for this moment, but I was struggling with finishing this story the way that I wanted to. I was finally able to, with some help, give it the ending that it deserves. I won't bore you with the details, but I do want to thank all of you for loving this story and being so vocal about it to me. It means the world to me and I hope to continue adding new stories for you guys in the future. So, here we go....the last Chapter.**

_“I’ve been looking for you since I was a little girl.”_

Regina played the words over in her head slowly. They were so simple, mostly inconsequential to anyone who didn’t know the origin of their entwined stories, but to those who had been there to bear witness to the rise of the Evil Queen, they were laced with the blood, tears and innocence of both women.

She had left the home of her former step-daughter an hour prior, stopping briefly to speak with a few of the townsfolk before returning to her vault to begin the final preparations. She needed everything to be ready before she summoned Emma.

Regina abruptly paused from her tedious task, allowing the memories of fleeting moments she shared with the Saviour to steady her conviction. As she thought of the blonde, the skin near the corners of her mouth creased when her lips curved into a tiny smile.There wasn’t a guarantee that this would end badly or that she would get hurt, but she knew that there was a very slim chance that she would walk away unscathed. Emma would be okay, right? Once the darkness was lifted she would be free to live her life the way she deserved. She nodded her head in reassurance, chasing away the doubts that attempted to creep into her mind unbidden.

Emma would be angry, at first, that was undeniable. She would yell and swear, far worse than the pirate captain ever could. She may well even destroy the mausoleum in her rage. Then would come the denial, the refusal to accept that which had come to pass. This would be followed by tears which would spring to life at each mention or discussion of today’s events. Eventually, days or months or years down the line, Emma would accept that what had happened could not be undone. The relief may possibly, though unlikely, come immediately to the blonde regardless of the way the events played out. The idea of being free from the darkness may well be worth the price it cost.

As the gentle flame continued to lick the base of the cauldron, warm clouds of steam escaped from the pot’s open mouth. The gentle simmer began to roll into a bubbling fit as the hours under the mild heat turned the cool metal into a furnace. The brunette vacantly glared at the final two ingredients, a successful outcome required precise timing and Regina’s patience wore thin as her gaze fell upon the former Saviour’s only hope of freedom from the grasp of dark one curse. Her own damaged heart, a beacon of hope. Softly and rhythmically it pulsed against a small red cushion at the center of the table. The once vibrantly, rosy organ now laid crystallized in darkness, decades of villainous behaviour has seen to it’s obsidian form. The once selfish Queen internally chastised herself for the lives her projected misery claimed and quickly returned her focus back to the task of lying to the Dark One to save the Saviour. Regina only aimed to complete the transference before the clever blonde put the pieces of the incantation together.

She sighed softly and removed the spell from the boiling potion, carefully adding in the dried Moon Berries before counting as she deposited the dragon scales one at a time. To say Maleficent had been none too pleased with her monthly visits to extract the scales during the time of the Dark Curse was an understatement.  Of all the grudges between them, however, that was the easiest to forgive.

Dark eyes watched as she stirred the potion slowly, watching it change from a deep red to a bright white, the steam curling and lifting towards the ceiling. She carefully laid a cloth over her heart and the pillow it rested on before stepping around the table and retrieving the Dark One’s dagger from its hiding place.

“It looks like it’s time.” She raised the dagger, brown eyes pained to see the woman’s name etched into the cold metal. She opened her mouth to command the blonde to appear but a lurch in her stomach stopped her. No. She didn’t own Emma and she certainly didn’t control her.

“Emma, I need to talk to you.” Regina started slowly, bringing the dagger down so she can trace the letters with her finger. “I found a way to fix it for you. Please, come to me….”

“I’m here. I came as soon as you said my name.” The blonde spoke from her place on the  chaise, green eyes watching the older woman curiously. The younger woman’s hair had retreated back to the snowy shade it had been before their morning together and her wardrobe still consisted of only the black leather she had worn since Camelot.

“I found a way to reverse it. I can take the darkness out of you, permanently.”

The former Sheriff rose to her feet slowly and crossed the room to stand in front of the other woman, observing her, searching for any sign of a lie, but she found none.

“You found a way to fix it?”

“I did. It will pull the darkness out of you and trap it in the dagger. No one will ever have to carry the mantle of the Dark One again.” She smiled softly, the small lie was worth it for the hope that bloomed behind green eyes. “I can do this, Emma. I’m sure of it. Once we’re finished, you’ll have your life back.”

Emma nodded slowly as she processed this information. She could be normal again. She could have her family and her son back. She could have her entire life back the way it was. Maybe….Maybe she could even have Regina. They had taken so many steps together over the past few weeks and the knowledge that the brunette cared for her made her heart thud a little harder in her chest. Maybe they could be a family, a real family. Just her, Regina and Henry in the manor on Mifflin Street. They could start over and have a real chance at a happy ending.

“Okay, let’s do it. I trust you, Regina, more than anything.” The sincerity in the green eyes made Regina’s stomach twist and she nodded, crossing the room to set the dagger down on the table in front of the cloaked organ.

“Okay, then. It’ll be over before you know it. I do need one more thing, though. I need your heart.” She stated carefully, motioning towards an empty red pillow which appeared on the table beside the dagger. “I need to be able to see when all the darkness has been removed. It’s a very delicate process.”

The blonde looked unsure for a moment before nodding, she trusted Regina. If the woman wanted to kill her, she could have done so the moment she got her magic back. Slender fingers dipped into her own chest and slowly withdrew her heart. It sat heavy in her hand, the darkness inside twisting and swirling, not an inch of the organ showed any light save for a small section near the bottom where a weak red light attempted to push through.          

Regina took the organ in her hands carefully, her thumb gently caressing  along the curve of it as she laid it against the pillow. The similarity between her own heart and the Savior’s was disturbing. She had earned her darkness, she deserved to be tainted. Emma didn’t. She hadn’t deserved anything that  she had endured in her life, but endured she had,

“Let’s get started. I’m going to recite a spell and it might sting a little bit, that’s why I removed your heart. It would hurt much worse if it remained in your body while the Darkness was being extracted.” The brunette explained, leading the blonde to stand a few steps from the table, the area marked with runes in both black and white, the characters swirling outwards as they got more elaborate. “I need you to remain in this spot, okay? If you move, the spell won’t complete and it could kill you.” The seriousness in the brunette’s eyes had the blonde nodding in agreement.

“I trust you, Regina.” She repeated confidently. “Let’s do this so we can both go home.”

The former Queen nodded slowly before taking her place behind the table, resting her finger on the displayed page of the spell book in front of her, her free hand moving slowly over the bubbling potion as she began to speak. Her voice eerily calm, almost haunting in quality, the words foreign to the blonde but the power behind them was undeniable.

_“_ _De luz y oscuridad_ __  
_Carne y hueso_ __  
_Tire de la embarcación_ __  
_Lo que creció._ __  
__  
_Corazon a corazon_ __  
_Pecado al pecado_ __  
_Quitar la mancha_ __  
_Que habita dentro_ __  
__  
_Para uno vivir_ __  
_Entonces uno morirá_ __  
_Romper la cadena_ _  
_ _Asi que digo”_

Pure white smoke began to pour from the calderon, snaking its way across the table towards the shrouded organs. It curled and weaved around the cushions before rising over Emma’s heart. The blonde shuddered and squeezed her eyes closed as the circling mist seeped into her dark and damaged heart.

Regina watched through slightly glazed eyes as the Savior’s body jerked slightly, her hands clenched at her sides as if forcing herself to stay put. Pale lips curled in a grimace and a sound akin to an injured dog echoed against the walls of the vault. She watched as the white receded, leaving behind curling golden tendrils in its wake, a warmth beginning to blossom along pale skin.

The smoke slowly began to re-emerge from the beating muscle though now it was thick and inky, every inch of white saturated in the darkness which has plagued the younger woman.

The brunette took a shaky breath, steeling her resolve, before enacting the second part of the spell, murmuring the words as she directed the smoke towards her own heart,gritting her teeth to keep her cry of pain at bay.

_“En un nuevo barco_ __  
_Esta oscuridad va_ _  
_ _Llenar_

_cada pulgada_ __  
_Así que no hay espectáculos de luz_ __  
__  
_Corazon a corazon_ __  
_Vida a muerte_ __  
_Este voto que hago_ __  
_Con mi último aliento._ __  
__  
_Sin buque mas_ __  
_la oscuridad encontrará_ __  
_Encarcelado completamente_ _  
_ _Sólo en la mía.”_

The former Queen gripped the edge of the table tightly, the smoke rising above her own heart before plunging downard. The sting of the Darkness was familiar to the older woman but a groan of pain still rose in her throat unbidden. This was different, this Darkness was more potent than any she had been touched with through her own deeds.

Her body convulsed as more of the inky black substance seeped into the already darkened organ, blotting out the small amount of light that clung to the far right edge. The pain of it had her head spinning, her legs giving out as she released a cry of agony. The pain subsided as she lost consciousness against the cool stone floor, her heart pulsing beneath its cover.

“Regina?” Emma opened her eyes at the sound of pain, green eyes darting around before landing on the Queen’s still form, her eyes glassy and unseeing. “Regina!” The woman’s name echoed off the walls, desperation and disbelief seeping from the word. No second thoughts were had as the blonde breached the circle, crossing the few feet that separated her from the older woman.

The blonde dropped to her knees beside the raven haired woman, rolling her onto her back to allow her a better view of her. Pale fingers pressed against an olive toned throat desperately in search of a pulse, of any sign of life within the woman.

“Come on, Regina. Come on.” She muttered, tapping the older woman lightly on the cheek. “I need you. Come on, wake up for me.” Years of training as a bounty hunter came flooding back and she pressed her hands over Regina’s chest, beginning to press rhythmically. “Wake up for me, come on. This isn’t how you go out. You’re better than this.”

The silence in the room was deafening as the Savior worked to bring life back to the fallen woman. Firm compressions were alternated with strong breaths forced between red lips along with muttered curses and pleas for a reaction, any reaction.

The steady beat of her own heart drew the younger woman’s attention to the table. She pushed herself to her feet, ripping away the cloth covering both heart. Green eyes widened in horror at the sight before her.

Emma’s heart was now shining again, pulsing with red light and unblemished by even a speck of the darkness she had grown accustomed to, even the darkness which hadn’t come with the Dark One’s curse had been pulled from the very depths of the muscle. Regina’s, however, had been engulfed entirely in their combined darkness, the inky blackness swirling and twisting within its new vessel.

“No…..Oh, Regina…” The words came out as little more than a whisper as the blonde ran her fingers slowly over each heart. “Dammit!” Despite the anger and betrayal that she could feel coursing through her at the clear evidence of what Regina had done, the blonde forced herself to think rationally. There had to be a way out of this. There had to be a way to fix this. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

Moments ticked by as she wracked her brain for a solution, a missing piece of information she desperately hoped to shake loose. Surely someone, somewhere, at sometime, had encountered a situation like this. Green eyes squeezed shut in concentration, her hands resting lightly over each of the beating muscles.

Emma felt the breathe rush from her lungs as she was struck with inspiration. The hearts. That was the key. A heart belonged in the body, but there was no rule that the hearts on the table had to go back into the same body that they were removed from. Fingers danced over the curves of each heart, contemplating the risks and rewards of Regina’s actions as well as her own.

Without giving herself time to overthink what she was about to do, her fingers wrapped around the darkened, damaged vessel and lifted it from its resting place. She closed her eyes tightly before shoving her hand forward, burying the muscle in her own chest with a groan of pain. Pale fingers gripped the edge of the table to steady herself as the world tilted on its axis.

She managed to shake the haze long enough to grasp her own heart carefully, staggering to the fallen woman and pushing the cleansed heart into place. The former Savior collapsed back against the wall of the vault, her eyes trained on the place where the red glow and vanished.

Seconds ticked by as she waited, waited for anything and nothing. Waited for a moment that may never come. The gasp that erupted from the brunette’s chest echoed off the walls. The older woman sitting up slowly to look at the blonde before her.

“Emma, what did you do?” Regina asked cautiously, her fingers slowly rubbing over the spot where Emma’s had been minutes before. “Emma.” The worry came out in full force this time, brown eyes shining with tears as she took in the pure white that had overtaken the younger woman’s golden curls the moment that the infected heart had been thrust into her chest.

“I did what I had to do. I did what it took to keep you safe.” came the snarled response, green eyes flashing dangerously as the slender woman rose to her feet. She smoothed her hands slowly over the black leather once again adorning her body before traveling up to take account of the newly frosted state of her once golden locks. “Sacrifice sucks, doesn’t it, your Majesty?”

The brunette got to her feet slowly, finger still rubbing absentmindedly over her chest where the skin felt scorched from the younger woman’s touch. Dark eyes glimmered with pain as they drank in the sight of the woman before them, so different than the one that had come crashing into her life just a few short years before. An entire lifetime that had passed so quickly, slipping through their fingers even as they tried to stop the clock for just a few brief moments to catch their breath.

“It doesn’t have to. Emma, we can fix this. I can _fix_ this. Just let me try.” The usually husky voice of the former mayor came out quiet and desperate, laced with the unmistakable hints of fear and worry. “I can fix this…..”

“You can’t. I let you do this your way and we see how well that turned out, didn’t we?” The younger woman snapped, her eyes icy and distant. “No. We tried this your way and you failed. Now, we do it my way.” The words were punctuated with a wave of her wrist, the dagger appearing in a plume of grey smoke in her palm.

“Emma, I can’t. I can’t…..”

“You promised me.”

“Emma, please,” she begged. “There has to be another way.” The older woman was close to tears now, her eyes betraying her and filling with the salty liquid.

“Regina you promised. You promised me that if you couldn’t find a way that you would kill me,” Emma choked out, the dagger shaking in her pale hands. Regina looked down at the shiney blade and took a deep breath, and it was almost as if her hand had a mind of its own as it reached out and picked it up.

It felt disgusting. It felt heavy and so full of evil that she almost felt sick to make contact with it. A tear leaked from her eye and rolled down her cheek slowly, catching on her jawline and finally falling onto the silvery surface of the blade.

“Emma, I can’t do it. I-”

“You can do it. For me. Please.” There were small tears leaving tracks down Emma’s cheeks, her nose slightly scrunched and her forehead creased. It broke her heart to see Regina like this, the woman she cared about so much falling apart in front of her. She reached up a shaky hand and cupped the Mayor’s cheek and kissed her forehead. Her thumb wiped away the remaining tear there.

“I want you to tell Henry that I love him, and that I am so happy that I got to see him grow up the way he has.” Regina opened her mouth to protest, but Emma cut her off, her thumb brushing over the apples of her cheeks. “ I want you to tell my mother that I am so sorry for the things that I said and that I didn’t mean a word of it. I want you to tell both of my parents that I love them, my brother, too, and that I am so happy that I finally got to meet them.”

Regina had tears streaming down her face, a majority of them getting caught in Emma’s palm.

“Emma, I can’t…. We can’t go one without you,” she sniffled, her eyes looking up to meet bright green ones that were surrounded by red. The silver headed woman gave her a tight lipped smile and shook her head.

“You did it for twenty-eight years, you can do it for far more,” she whispered. Slowly, she dropped her hand from Regina’s cheek and reached down. When her fingers came in contact with the brunette’s they both took a sharp breath.

“And I want you to know that I am sorry we didn’t have more time. More time for us to have fun together and make better memories than we have. I’m sorry that I can’t be there with you to watch Henry grow up and graduate and marry some lucky woman. I’m sorry that we didn’t have more time for us. I don’t have many regrets in this life, but this is my biggest one.” Her voice shook with every word. “That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you, Regina.”

“I can’t,” she breathed, voice breaking. Emma nodded her head and reached up, her hand grasping hold of the one Regina was holding the dagger with and positioned it above her heart. “I can’t,” she sobbed again.

Emma said softly, brushing away a tear that streaked down her face, “I will find you again in the next world - the next life. And we will have that time. I promise.”

Regina eyes bore into Emma’s and it was almost as if they had spoken without speaking. They both slowly leaned in to each other, their breath mingling, and finally their lips brushing together, but as their lips connected and they became more familiar with the new feeling of one another, Emma pushed the hilt of the dagger, causing the tip of the blade to push into her chest cavity and a sharp gasp to fall from her lips.

Emma grunted in pain, but lifted her hand to cup Regina’s face. Their lips moved together slowly, almost as if they had all the time in the world, and Emma thought they did, for a moment. She let herself believe that they were just two lovers, kissing because they could.

As soon as Emma felt the blade pushing closer to her heart, though, she was brought back to reality by the blinding hot pain of it all.

She would never see Henry grow up, she would never see him get married and have grandchildren with their family’s bright green eyes. She would never see Regina walking down the aisle in some beautiful white dress and she would never see streaks of grey in her hair while they are sitting out on their front porch and watching their grand-kids play in the front yard.

She would never get a future, so she focused on the present and what she had now, and what she had now was a dagger in her chest and Regina Mills’ lips on hers.

_Live in the moment, you will never get this again,_ she thought to herself, so she did.

Emma pushed her body forward, her lips pressing harder against Regina’s, the breath leaving both their lungs immediately. As she leaned forward, though, the tip of the blade brushed against Emma’s heart, sending a beam of light escaping her chest and shining past the boundaries of the blade.

She felt something, she didn’t know what, but what she did know was that it was something she hadn’t felt in what felt like forever.

She felt love and happiness and hope and sadness, but it was like it was all being multiplied by one hundred and it was filling her entire body and her entire soul and she was being consumed by this new but old feeling.

Regina pulled back from Emma, their lips parting for only a second before she started to feel the familiar tendrils of magic creeping up her arm that held the dagger in place. Gold snakes of magic circled up her arm like vines or snakes and made their way up and across her shoulders until they reached the left side of her body and sunk into her chest and into her heart.

Regina saw her life flash before her eyes, she knew she did. She saw kids, maybe five, maybe four. She saw grass and sunshine, and maybe even a dog, too. She saw a red and white coffee mug, which she knew belonged to her, and a green and blue one that she could only assume belonged to her partner. The only glimpse that she got of said person, though, was bright blonde hair that was streaked with silver, but not enough to look bad.

She knew exactly who it was, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw that bright, beautiful blonde hair returning to Emma’s head once more.

Emma’s face was illuminated by the gold magic that was being shared between the two, the harsh lines of her cheekbones softening out to how they used to be. She could feel the darkness and all the evil leave her body, being pulled out by whatever magic was being put at work. She felt her hair being unraveled from the tight bun that sat atop her head most days and watched as it fell around her shoulders in locks that looked almost like hay strings.

Her eyes jumped to where Regina stood before her, though, and she felt her heart beat increase and she felt like it was about to thump out of her chest it was beating so rapidly.

The magic was working on the mayor, too, and Emma could tell. Regina’s face, too, hollowed out, her more youthful glow returning to her beautiful skin. The dark circles under and around her eyes disappeared leaving no trace of the exhaustion that she had felt the past few weeks.

Burning. Regina felt burning in the hand that held the dagger in Emma’s chest and watched as it disintegrated into a pile of dust on the concrete floor below them, taken away by some magical wind that blew through the room. The gold magic slowly started to dwindle out between the two of them, but they both felt the buzz of the energy. They both felt the buzz deep in their soul, and as Emma listened closely, she could have sworn she heard Regina’s heart beat in time with her own.

“That… what the hell was that?” Emma choked out, her normal voice back once again, not the deep raspy way it was when she was the Dark One. Regina shook her head and dropped her hand, a tear slipping down her cheek.

“I don’t know, Emma, but you’re back! You’re you and you’re safe and you’re back!” The brunette threw herself at the younger woman and wrapped her arms around her neck. Emma instinctively wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and held her tight against her body. She buried her face in her neck and inhaled a deep breath, committing the smell of Regina’s perfume to memory.  

“I love you,” Regina whispered into her blonde hair that she didn’t know she missed so much until this very moment and, without hesitation, Emma said back, “I love you more.”

**A/N: There we are....I think it is a fitting end, but maybe, just maybe, it won't be the last time we see our ladies. I've been toying with the idea of a sequel to see how Emma readjusts to life without the darkness and how she and Regina tackle their new relationship. What do you think? Let me know in the reviews!**


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